The Magic of Jacky Cheung

Last year, I made the trip to Hong Kong to watch Jacky Cheung's concert. And it was absolutely marvellous.

There was just something special about the seeing and listening to the man himself sing live. He was singing for me.

Yes, you can listen to him on Apple Music, Youtube etc. Heck, we even listened to him on CDs in that era. And his voice was probably better in the recordings too. But there, in Hong Kong's Indoor Stadium, he was singing for me.

I don't care that it wasn't perfect. All I could see was Hong Kong's Heavenly King putting in 110% effort and emotion into each and every song. With the acoustics, the way we all were so eager to hear him, the little dances, the AR effects, it was just perfect.

And he charmed my socks off too. He was at home speaking Cantonese in Hong Kong, and I understand Cantonese. Like a little kid, he bragged about how many concerts he's staged for this tour. Pointed out that aside from being an accomplished singer, he was also a songwriter (and accordingly performed a couple of his own songs). Told us about his doubts in putting together this tour at his age. Ranted jokingly about falling house prices (he's well-known for having bought a few luxury properties). Inspired all by proving he could still do a split at 60+ years of age. At the core, I could see that he just loved singing for us. And he wanted to continue doing it too.

It all felt very authentic. When he stands in front there singing or speaking, I get a positive vibe too. You can do it, whatever it is, he seems to be saying, without having to put it into words. A true celebrity.