*"A day in May, then summer is newly born"
Well, it wasn't summer, but we did go see Mayday on Saturday.
It was me, Henry, and Jasmine (sister-in-law) and it seems like everyone had a good time. First was the drive to New York + parking, which always sucks. This wasn't too bad so that's always a good start! The parking was just behind Barclays so the walk wasn't bad either. And even though, later on, the band was talking about how their fans need to get here through the rain and the cold, it really wasn't so bad. It's probably feels like below freezing to people from Taiwan, but it's actually a rather balmy fall night.
Things like getting in and past security was easy and we found our seats easily. I've never been to Barclays so I'm surprised by how small a venue it is (comparatively). Or maybe I just amaze myself by finding good seats. We were a distance from the stage, but it felt pretty close...if that makes any sense at all.
Jia Jia was the opener, which I wasn't overly excited about. But I will concede that she has a good voice. It's just not my style of music. The people in the row behind us were very excited though, and they were very amusing throughout the whole concert. She did three songs and then advertised her own headlining show the next night. (Guy behind us: "Say no more, Jia Jia!")
Then Mayday came on. Everything was fairly fast and efficient since it felt like no time at all between Jia Jia and Mayday. They started with a short movie clip where the band members are superheroes fighting Ultron-like things. Let me see if I remember things well: Ashin is Honey Potter. Guan You is Mini Ming, Masa is Hell Kitty, Stone is Lonely Stone, and Monster is Mr. Monster. Someone (looks like someone behind us) uploaded videos to YouTube so I don't have to describe stuff anymore.
Click to view
In any event, they went back to the theme of the movie whenever they had a break in the set and I thought it was very amusing.
Their set list was (relying on old-person memory with the help of this person's YouTube videos so exact order is iffy):
1. Party Animal (派對動物)
2. OAOA
3. Best Day of My Life (最好的一天)
4. Here, After Us (後來的我們)
5. Enter Battle (入陣曲)
6. Superman (超人)
7. You Are Not Truly Happy (你不是真正的快樂)
8. Cheers (乾杯)
9. Brotherhood (兄弟)
At some point, not sure if at this point, they might have stopped and had a break where they introduced the band and each had a short talk.
![](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4535/38544943061_c9d5480b03.jpg)
That went into a short sing-along of Embrace (拥抱).
Click to view
It's a song I know the lyrics to (and subtitles are super helpful)! So that was really fun.
10. Almost Famous (成名在望) (starting with Masa on the piano)
![](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4556/38488688746_896365547f.jpg)
Then they talked about how the concept of the album and the tour is life as some sort of company and they're the employees. If the fans are having a good time and they're properly loud, then the band will be happy to do "overtime", which I guess was a good time as any for:
11. Life Co. Ltd. (人生无限公司)
12. The Yet Unbroken Part of My Heart (我心中尚未崩壞的地方)
13. Sun Wukong (孫悟空)
14. I Won't Let you Be Lonely (我不願讓你一個人)
15. Tough (頑固)
16. Contentment (知足)
17. Love-ing
At some point, someone threw their bra on stage and that was pretty amusing. Of all the concerts I've been to, that's probably the only time I actually saw someone do that, either out of comedy or actual hey-have-my-underwear mentality.
18. Song of Ordinary People (凡人歌)
19. Do You Ever Shine?
![](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4543/37829068894_45a0fa99fe.jpg)
20. Jump! (離開地球表面)
21. Sad People Should Not Listen to Slow Songs (傷心的人別聽慢歌)
22. Dokodemo Door (任意門)
23. Toughness (倔强)
24. People Life, Ocean Wild (人生海海)
And that's the end of the set, but there's obviously at least one encore.
25. Tenderness (温柔)
Then they're off stage again and some people started leaving but there's always a chance of a second encore (it's almost like waiting for a movie post-credit scene).
26. Suddenly Missing You (突然好想你)
And it looked like they're finally off stage for good. The lights and ads come back on but the fans are still demanding that they do overtime.
27. Fool "憨人"
Click to view
I thought they weren't going to do the last song since it's in Taiwanese and had been obviously left off of the China leg of their tour set list and was probably last played when they started the tour in Taiwan. So it's always good when a band plays a fan favorite that wasn't expected. I'm also very pleased since it's one of the few Taiwanese songs I know and can sing along to.
So, fun was had by all and I would place this at the upper end of my concert going experience next to Rammstein, my first Foo Fighters concert, my first My Chemical Romance concert, the Green Day concerts, and Brand New at the...Hard Rock Cafe? Not sure, it was a small theater and we were up in the balcony the whole time, but I can't recall which it was.
Anyhoos, some funny observations:
* Henry goes: "there's a super organized merchandise line." At most concerts, it's a vague line and a bunch of people mobbing the merchandise. Taiwanese people love standing in organized lines.
* Where does one get those air-traffic controller wands? At first, I thought they're just lighted/colored wands. But someone's controlling all of them since they simultaneously change color/turn off and on. Technology is amazing, man.
* I love that people just sat down and watched the rock concert like they're at a very noisy opera. I'm old and enjoy sitting down (which Ashin also mentioned at some point. He was like "you can sit down now. I'm 20 years and many many months old so I know you want to sit down). That's the benefit of going to see an old band. They don't expect you to stand (looking at you, Billie Joe!).
* No obnoxious people. I saw not one bro at the entire concert. Even the sing-along bits, everyone sang at a rational volume instead of screaming. It's very different from an American concert. And everything is so clean when we left. There was no liter (and probably no garbage cans either).
* Not a bro, but I thought one of the guys behind us was super amusing. He's just so Taiwanese in his derpiness. At various points, he would say to his friends, "we have to stand for this song, right?" I'm not sure, but he might even have a broken leg.
* Henry goes: "there's no line for the urinal in the men's room but a line to wash their hands." Again, Taiwanese people love standing in organized lines...and do guys not typically wash their hands?
* At one point, I jokingly said that, when we leave, there would be very polite lines to exit the building as opposed to the pushing and shoving we're used to at concerts. And, yup, I was right. It's like being at Shiling Night Market. So many people Yet no one shoving/bumping into one another.
* Once we got home, we found ourselves feeling surprisingly...unsoiled. Usually, after concerts, we both smell like smoke. But people took their not smoking seriously at that concert!
So, my first Asian concert. My first Mayday concert. And I enjoyed it greatly. I'm definitely keeping an eye out for other Asian artists I like that might be coming to the east coast at any point.