For the first time in over 10 years, Chinese singer and actress Rainie Yang made her way back to the U.S. to perform for fans on her LIKE A STAR world tour. Returning to Atlantic City, where she also performed on her 2014 world tour, Yang sang for a packed venue at the Borgata Casino’s event center. Together with background dancers and live band, she put on an energetic and captivating show for those in attendance.
As fans slowly made their way into the venue, the lights dimmed for an introductory video before Yang and her dancers made their way on stage. Sporting black shorts and a black top with silver accents, the singer and her team kicked off the show with one of her more recent songs, “BAD LADY.” As Yang is most well known as a ballad singer, this electronic pop song was a big change from the sound her fans know her best for. A rarity for Yang, this song also came with choreography done by Kiel Tutin, a well known choreographer particularly in the K-pop world. With that, the show was off to an energetic start, as latecomers settled into their seats.
Following a short introduction and a few words of Mandarin to the crowd, she continued her show, switching the pace up with a couple of her older songs: “New Flu” (新流感; Xing Liu Gan) and “Youth Bucket” (青春鬥; Qing Chun Dou). While both were accompanied by dynamic choreo, “Youth Bucket” featured a special arrangement and dance break specially tailored for her concerts. She rounded off the introductory set of the show with “Magic Door” (任意門; Ren Yi Men). Originally a cute, almost childish sounding pop song, Yang and the live band gave this song a slower, more mature and hip vibe compared to the original. This performance showed how Yang and her musical style has evolved in the 18 years since its release. True to showcasing her wide-spanning career, she even performed a solo rendition of “1,001 Wishes” (一千零一個願望), originally released by 4 in Love, the group she debuted with.
While Yang went backstage for an outfit change, a video played a compilation of clips from many of the popular dramas she starred in over the years, a foreshadowing of the songs to come. She returned to the stage in a feathery pink dress, which signaled a shift to a calmer atmosphere. Jumping straight into it, she performed “Ideal Lover” (理想情人; Li Xiang Qing Ren), a song from a fan-favorite drama, Devil Beside You. Following that, the trend continued with some of her most beloved ballads, including, “Anonymous Friend” (匿名的好友; Ni Ming De Hao You), “Over-Sensitive” (過敏; Guo Min), “Sleeping Beauty’s Insomnia” (失眠的睡美人; Shi Mian De Shui Mei Ren), “Rain Love” (雨愛; Yu Ai), and “Ambiguous” (曖昧; Ai Mei). Many of these tracks are theme songs or inserts in various dramas she’s featured in, so these performances were also a callback to some of her most prominent roles in her acting career. Ballads truly are where Yang shone, as she could not only display her strong and steady vocals over the slow melody but also convey emotional depth with each lyric.
Along with another outfit change, Yang changed the mood of the show once more. This time in a long denim skirt with a frilly pink top, she exuded an air of maturity that was not seen in her previous stages. As such, she prepared songs with a more mature, yet upbeat sound for this portion of the show like “Indulging” (漂流浴室; Piao Liu Yu Shi) and “Longing For” (仰望; Yang Wang). When “Longing For” had just been released, she was looking to shed her “cute image” and show a new side through her music. Yang continued to captivate the audience with her passionate singing through more of her hits, such as “Goldfish With Amnesia” (失憶的金魚; Shi Yi De Jin Yu) and “Take Me Away” (帶我走; Dai Wo Zou).
After a final outfit change, Yang came back in a stunning open-back white dress with a matching veil covering her face. As the show reached its end, the tempo of the music also slowed down, although the crowd did not get any calmer. To roaring cheers from the crowd, she treated the crowd with emotional ballads to wrap up the night: “Traces of Time in Love” (年輪說; Nián lún shuō), “Wishing for happiness” (想幸福的人), and “Youth Lies Within” (青春住了誰). Closing the concert with the title track of her most recent album, “LIKE A STAR” (像是一顆星星; Xiang Shi Yi Ke Xing Xing), she bid the audience farewell.
The concert was a fantastic showcase of Rainie Yang’s 25-year music career, featuring the songs that brought her to fame and her current sound. An emotional performer, Yang’s live singing added so much color and depth to the songs. Listening to her revisit some of the songs from her earlier in her career showed how much she’s evolved as a performer. Living up to her earned title as a veteran performer, Yang put on a carefully curated show, from song arrangements and setlist choices to outfits and visual production, that enhanced the experience of each performance and made her return well worth the wait.
