[REVIEW] Lay Zhang Innovates M-Pop with Explosive Performance in Malaysia as Tour’s First Stop

Although he has been inactive in the K-pop group since 2017 mainly due to tensions between China and South Korea and now performs mainly in China, he’s still considered very much a part of the group.

So, when one of the partners for the concert invited Rojak Daily to the concert even though it was all the way over at the Arena of Stars at Resorts World Genting, I very happily accepted.

Malaysians were fortunate enough that our country was the first stop of his tour –– the first overseas stop for the entertainer since 2019 due to the pandemic. And what a show it was. Call me biased but the performance that the Changsha-born singer put on was magnificent in every way.

Honestly, he could put on a simple show and still work up screams for the crowd, but Yixing truly pulled out all the stops to give his audience one heck of a show. Besides going through rigorous K-pop training before debuting with EXO, he is known for his dedication to his craft, and was even reported to have tied 2-3 kilograms of sandbags to himself to perfect his dance moves when he first started training.

Yixing quickly ‘Lit’ up the stage with his outstanding performances, adding a unique style to every song that turned up the heat in the arena despite the chilly Genting weather outside. The M-pop singer proved that he is serious about “taking China to the world” as he sings in his song ‘Lit (蓮)’ as he even brought on Peking Opera performers in full costume and traditional Chinese drum performers, showing how he is really innovating pop music.

Throughout the 25-song set, the 31-year-old performed some of his top hits even his latest single ‘Veil’ for the very first time. The volume was turned up LOUD during an EDM Medley of several songs including ‘Boss’ and ‘Sheep’ that really got the audience going.

The attention that the singer pays to his craft was evident, as he himself took the lead in creative design and the selection of songs. He also went through different concepts and a whopping nine outfit changes including a white jacket with tassels and a black jacket with elaborate gold sequinned designs.

Besides showing off his vocals and visuals with his bleached blond hair, Lay is also known as a ‘dancing machine’ and he impressed with energetic dance moves that were sharp and precise. The multi-talented singer, actor, and songwriter also wowed with his instrument-playing skills with an electric guitar, piano, and ‘hulusi’, a traditional Chinese musical instrument.

Not only did he bring along an impressively large group of dancers including Chinese Folk Dancers, but he also gave the chance to local talent Bennet Soo to perform in a dancing acting role during the song ‘Mama’ as young Lay Zhang who shared on his Instagram page that the singer had rehearsed at the concert venue the day before from around 3.00 pm till past 1.30 a.m. Talk about dedication!

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A post shared by Bennett & Bianca (@bennett_bianca_soo)

Although he spoke in Mandarin for most of the night in between songs, he also thrilled the Malaysian crowd by speaking several lines in Malay like “Aku Cinta Kamu” and thoroughly amused everyone by improvising a song called “Satay Sedap” that he shared he had enjoyed the night before as he played the piano.

He also spoke at length about our country and our capital city saying, “Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful city, your oceans are beautiful, there is delicious food, and you guys are passionate. I’ve always wanted to film my music video here but I ended up holding my concert here instead.”

Just when the crowd thought that things were slowing down during an acoustic segment, it turned out to be one of the highlights of the night as he left the stage and came down to the VIP and PS1 section of the floor, offering some lucky fans a close-up look at the superstar and the chance to touch his hands.

He ended the night with a remix of ‘NAMANANA’, ‘Honey’ and ‘牧童 (the Shepherd Boy’ and continued his fan service way past the concert with an Instagram live to thank the fans in the middle of the night and a heartfelt written post the next day, saying, “I want to come back again and see more of my Malaysian fans. Thank you for supporting me each step of the way. I want to make bigger and better performances for you!”

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A post shared by Lay Zhang (@layzhang)

Besides Yixing giving his all for the show, his local and overseas fan clubs including Lay Union MY really poured in their heart and souls to make a memorable night for the singer and the attendees.

There were two gift bags of hand banners and merchandise bearing the likeness of the dimpled singer for every concertgoer including a light stick which served to light up the arena with a ‘Purple Ocean’ throughout the night. Many XBacks –– which is the name of his fandom –– showed up clad in purple, even the more senior folk who were probably accompanying their daughters or granddaughters.

Long queues formed outside the venue of Xingmis –– another fandom name –– waiting for their turn to take pictures with the adorable inflatable mascot, a diary board where fans could post their messages and pictures, as well as a backdrop with his image, all prepared by the fan clubs. There were even rows of flower stands backstage and an elaborate tiered cake for ‘Captain Lay’.

While all the negative reports about Billie Eilish’s concert in KL somewhat put me off attending any shows myself –– with reviews of a terrible sound system and badly spaced seats –– fortunately, that was not the case with this concert.

Due to the capacity of the indoor arena of 5,000 people, the concert felt intimate and the state-of-the-art sound system that the venue uses which is an L-Acoustics K2 setup delivered a satisfying experience that allowed the crowd to hear every melodious note.

While I’ve personally attended an Engelbert Humperdinck concert at the venue before –– yes, don’t judge, I’m an old soul –– Yixing really made full use of the stage lights and LED screens by airing movie-quality VCRs between breaks.

What an unforgettable night. Lay, make sure you come back again for a concert and some satay!