Following the postponement of his tour last year, Taiwanese pop-punk artist Marz23 finally made his way stateside this month. Kicking off his Not So Far Away North America Tour, the singer performed in front of a passionate crowd of fans in Downtown LA’s 1720. Despite the less-than-savory venue location, fans still flocked to the show, reserving tables and lining up in the GA line ready to scream and cheer for the next few hours.
The show began with smrtdeath, an American pop-punk artist who collaborated with Marz23 on the song “overrated.” Notably, Marz23 has also mentioned being a fan of the American singer and taking inspiration from him on several occasions, making this a meaningful full circle moment. smrtdeath performed songs old and new, and even included a few unreleased songs throughout his set. Songs such as “funeral” and “deathrow honeymoon” had the crowd singing along, and although the singer faced some unfortunate technical difficulties with his in-ears and microphone, his performance certainly raised the crowd’s excitement, ahead of main act.
After smrtdeath’s 45-minute set began, it was finally time for Marz23 to take the stage, walking out in a black and white oversized poncho. Enveloped and obscured by the stage’s smoke effects, the singer made it clear from the get-go that his intent was to focus everyone’s attention on his music and lyrics. This was further emphasized with the heavy red and blue lighting throughout the night, making it difficult to take photos and videos and incidentally encouraging attendees to enjoy the moment instead.
The soloist performed some of his most popular songs, including “Not A Rapper (我不是饒舌歌手).” Surprising the singer, the whole audience sang along to every word, lighting up an “I made it” expression on his face as he finished up the song. Another big hit for the night was “Not So Far Away (不遠處).” As he showcased the titular track for the tour, Marz23 poured all his emotions and passion into performing the song, kneeling on the floor and belting the lyrics with the crowd. As the fans continued singing along to each song, the performer looked out at the crowd in awe, touched by his fans’ fervor.
Throughout the evening, Marz23 spoke in Taiwanese Mandarin, Mandarin Chinese, and English, making sure to address and communicate with everyone in the audience. Showing genuine gratitude, the singer thanked everyone for coming despite the postponement of last year’s tour between songs, took phones from the crowd to take videos with, and took the time to make actual conversation and speak from the heart. Prior to performing “Self Hatred (不爱自己了),” he requested everyone to put up their cell phone lights and introduced the song: “This song is for anyone who has ever gone through some tough times and doubted yourself. You aren’t alone, and you should be proud that you’ve made it this far. We all have different stories, but we are here, brought together by music. We made it to today.”
Continuing the conversational talks with the audience, the singer also mentioned smrtdeath once again, reminiscing on when the American singer visited him in Taiwan to film their music video. The duo visited the famous Shilin Night Market together, where smrtdeath was introduced to his new favorite food: “He was like, ‘What the hell is that horrible smell?!’ And I said, ‘That’s the best local food here, try it.'” Already knowing what the food item had to be, the audience went wild when the singer confirmed it was one of the most iconic dishes at a Taiwanese Night Market, stinky tofu. Following this bout of nostalgia was another sweet interaction with the crowd, as the reaction to stinky tofu sparked some curiosity within Marz23. “How many of you here are from Taiwan?” he shouted into the microphone, only for almost the entire venue to cheer. Speaking in a mixture of Taiwanese Mandarin and Mandarin Chinese for the next few moments to ensure everyone was having a good time and still had energy, he finished off with a joking translation for the English speakers: “Yeah, I just gave them my credit card information. If you didn’t understand it, oh well.”
Connecting with the crowd through these brief chats and delivery of his meaningful lyrics in the intimate venue, Marz23 gave his fans a concert experience to remember. Although his show featured a short 12-song setlist, it was the perfect amount of time to showcase Marz23’s talent and strong stage presence.
Click on the photo below to view our photos from the concert:
