Nearly 23 years since his last show here, Mandopop superstar Wakin (Emil) Chau returned to a sold-out concert at the Spark Arena.
“It’s been too long,” the 64-year-old told the 6000-strong audience at his show, which is part of The Younger Me world tour.
Waving, showing thumbs-up gestures, and raising his fists triumphantly throughout the show, the Hong Kong-born, Taiwan-based singer performed with energy and passion.
At one point, he revealed his secret to maintaining his strong vocal cords: eating snake gallbladders.
Snake gallbladders have been traditionally used in Chinese medicine and is believed to have many benefits, including being anti-asthmatic, anti-inflammatory, and purportedly having immune-modulating properties.
“It’s a pity you don’t have snakes in New Zealand, so you won’t get a chance to have this,” Chau told the audience.
“Usually when my throat is a bit sore, I just have snake gallbladder with a bit of liquor, and then I feel fine.”
Chau said people should travel to Taiwan or Hong Kong to try snake gallbladder.
Making reference to show organiser Paul Young of Paul Young International, he said he asked why NZ didn’t have kangaroos - and Young said that Australia didn’t have any kiwi.
“That’s because both kangaroos and kiwis can’t swim,” he jested.
Chau said Young told him that NZ also did not have any snakes.
In some parts of Asia, the snake gallbladder is eaten mixed with liquor such as snake wine, which is made by soaking steamed snake meat in alcohol and a blend of Chinese herbs.
The greenish-black liquid is then downed in one go for maximum health benefits.
However, some studies have reported potential risks with ingesting snake gallbladder, including kidney and liver issues.
Chau’s The Younger Me concert focused on the roots of his artistry and was more intimate and reflective than his usual shows, which often featured classic martial arts themes and songs from period dramas.
He recalls his early days performing in Taiwan’s folk cafes, where there were no stage lighting or special effects - just faces in the crowd.
“I have spent so many years constantly travelling overseas performing for others,” Chau said in a media statement
“But this time, I want to sing the songs that truly matter to me — the songs I want to sing for myself.”
The tour is inspired by his album The Younger Me (2019), which consists of tracks such as Sigmund Freud’s Sake, Iceland, and I Eat Therefore I Am.
It kicked off in the Chinese city of Changsha on April 12, and he performed in Auckland after shows in Sydney and Melbourne. He will be making a stop in Singapore next month before continuing the tour in Guiyang and Foshan in China.
In Auckland, he performed non-stop without costume change or intermission, delivering hit after hit including many of his beloved classics.
Segments of the show reflected on Chau’s extraordinary journey, featuring his hit classics that have sold millions over four decades.
Chau and his 30-strong entourage, including his eight-piece live band and technical crew flew directly to Auckland.
The Mandopop singer-songwriter debuted in 1987 with his Mandarin album “心的方向”, and his iconic tracks such as“讓我歡喜讓我憂” (Let me love you once),“花心” (Flower Heart), and “朋友” (Friends) earned him the title of the most influential Mandopop singer in the Mandarin-speaking world.
Chau closed the 140-minute show with his most iconic song, 朋友 (Friends), a heartfelt anthem about friendship and loyalty, which has become a timeless classic sung at special occasions, including graduations, reunions, and birthdays.
He has won numerous awards, including the Golden Melody Awards and accolades from Hong Kong and international music charts. After the Auckland show, Chau would have also won many Kiwi fans’ hearts and left a lasting impression for those who were there.
Lincoln Tan attended the Wakin Chau concert as a guest of Paul Young International. The show was jointly presented by Live Nation and Paul Young International.
LINCOLN TAN is a co-founder of Chow Luck Club and a former senior journalist for the New Zealand Herald. He won “Best General Reporter” in the 2016 Canon Media Awards and has covered some of the biggest global events over his 30 years in journalism, both here and in Singapore.
