Probably one of my favourite concerts in Toronto. Seeing them perform live in Toronto was so much more amazing than watching them in Japan. While Zepp Tokyo was a more intimate setting, the stage at ACC was lot bigger, so I got the full experience with all the lights, videos, and of course the confetti. =)

Backtrack to a couple months ago when they announced their concert tour, I had a really difficult time buying tickets to their show. It was a nerve wrecking process dealing with the organizers because the whole operation to buy advanced tickets seemed incredibly sketchy. I was also transferring a huge amount of money online to buy the tickets, so I was definitely worried that it might be a sham. Thank goodness the tickets safely arrived in my hands or else I would have freaked out. The only downside was that the VIP tickets I paid for only got me in the 11th row. I was really hoping to get within the first 10 rows to be closer to the stage. But it was better than nothing.

On the actual day of the concert, we made it downtown a little early, so we ended up grabbing dinner inside Marche at the BCE Place. By the time we got to ACC, there were already a lot of people milling around the concession stands waiting to buy con goods. I only realized as we neared the front of the line that a portion of the con goods were already sold out. I overheard a staff member tell the man in front of me that they didn’t get a lot of stock and most of the t-shirts were only available in limited sizes. The man in front had pointed to the t-shirt that I had wanted to get, and the staff member told him that it was the very last shirt (she was taking it off the hanger). I was totally holding my breath while the guy debated over the t-shirt. Lucky for me, the shirt was too small for him, so he left it behind. I frantically told the staff member not to bother putting it back on the hanger since I was going to buy it. Yay!!

Aside from the t-shirt, I also bought a new lightstick. Even though I had my old one from Kaohsiung, I found out when the concert started that the sensors in the lightstick weren’t coordinated to change colours with the music. Only ones bought at the venue were properly programmed. Good thing I had two. =P

By the time we got to our seats, it was almost 8pm. I was surprised we had cut so close to the start time, because I’m usually seated well before. I brought the uchiwa I had made when I went to the Tokyo concert. I was worried I would be the only one holding a sign like a loser, but luckily the girl beside me had an even bigger sign. Hehe.

Anyway, the concert started about 10 minutes past 8pm. There were a few recorded clips that they played as they counted down to the official ‘launch’. I loved spotting all the celebrities they managed to rope in to film the video. People like JJ, Nicky Wu, Jerry Yan, Ariel Lin and even Jackie Chan. It was definitely star studded. 

Finally Mayday appeared on stage in their white light up outfits. (I remember those from their Pier 2 exhibit in Kaohsiung…hehe.) They started the setlist with 2012, then played a series of songs back to back before they addressed the crowd. Everyone in the front VIP section stood up right at the start of the concert. It was probably the first Asian concert I’ve been to in North America where people actually stood for the entire show. Granted, the audience on the sides sat for the majority of the show, but pretty much everyone was on their feet by the end of the night.

I loved their setlist and all the outfit changes they had throughout the concert. The lighting and the screens behind the stage also complemented the music very well. Even the colours on the lightstick matched 100%. While the band played on the main stage for the most part, Ashin, Monster and Stone took turns coming down the walkways on both ends of the stage. Since I was near the right side, they were probably three metres away from our seats at the closest. It was awesome!

The best part of the concert was during their fast tracks, because it really got the crowd up and moving. (I should mention how much of a workout I got on my calves by the end of the night, hehe.) 離開地球的表面 and 傷心的人別聽慢歌 were both equally amazing tracks. I especially loved their performance of 戀愛ing. Ashin separated the audience into four sections and he got his section (where I was seated) to cheer while he ‘conducted’. Then each section tried to one-up each other by cheering the loudest. It was even more cute when they made everyone spell out L-O-V-E with their arms to complete the song. <3

I guess the performance I was most looking forward to was 溫柔, because it’s probably my favourite song of theirs. The beginning was very calm and soothing, then Ashin started his monologue partway into the song. I think I was tearing up listening to him speak during that point, but then I had to get my phone ready to take pictures for the next moment –

溫柔紙花 <3

Definitely more gorgeous experiencing it up close in person than inside the little box at the Pier 2 exhibit. 

Towards the end of the concert, Ashin thanked everyone for their support. Initially he made it sound like he was thanking the crowd, but then he ended up thanking Stone instead. He also made really nice speeches for all his other band mates, but very deliberately left one out. When he finally addressed a very important person who was always behind him, he turned away from Guan You (who is on drums in the back) and thanked the vocalists and music director instead. LOL. Poor Guan You was getting a little impatient and kept banging on his drums. Ashin and everyone berated him for interrupting the nice little speech. It was only until the crowd started chanting Guan You’s name for two minutes before Ashin finally acknowledged him. =P

I was really happy by the end of the concert cause they sang most of my favourite songs. (Or at least the ones I knew for sure would be on the set list.) Mayday came back for two encores, which was already more than I had hoped. They ended the night with 憨人, which I thought was very appropriate. I was hopeful that they might end with 洋蔥 or 步步, which is their ‘newer’ songs, but I was overall pretty satisfied with the ones they sang.

All in all it was a great night and it was definitely worth the price to see them in Toronto. I’m a little regretful that I couldn’t fly to NYC to see them perform at Madison Square Garden, or make it to their 15th anniversary show in LA, but overall I’m super happy that I made it to their concert this year. Two concerts in two years in two countries. Let’s see if I can do 3/3/3 next year. =P