'Repaying my fans': Singer Show Lo talks up 30th anniversary concert in Singapore
Benson Ang for The Straits Times
Show Lo might have been in the entertainment business for three decades, but the Taiwanese singer is still going all out to give back to his fans.
In August 2024, he held a free autograph session in Taipei to promote his latest album Wu Zhuang Yuan (2024). Not only did the event last a whopping 12 hours, but Lo also allowed and even encouraged supporters to bring past albums for him to sign all at once.
Singers typically autograph only their most recent release.
Over a Zoom interview from Taipei with The Straits Times on July 11, the 45-year-old explained: "There are very few autograph sessions organised nowadays, so fans don't have many opportunities to get the albums they've gathered over the years signed. I wanted to do that for them at one go."
Were his hands tired from signing autographs for half a day? He replied: "I was more concerned about the fans queueing in the heat, especially those who queued overnight."
Fans can expect the same generosity and thoughtfulness when Lo's 30th anniversary tour makes a stop at Resorts World Ballroom on Aug 16. He last performed a solo concert here at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2023, and also did a 40-minute set during the One Love Asia Festival Singapore 2022 music festival at the Bayfront Event Space.
On both occasions, he walked off the stage to interact with the audience, shaking hands, giving high-fives and posing for photos. This is his favourite segment of the concert, he said. "It allows me to connect with them up close."
Another highlight of Lo's shows is the unscripted "freestyle" onstage banter. "I will bounce off the crowd's response - their cries and facial expressions," he said. "It is definitely more than just me singing and dancing. In fact, some friends say they particularly enjoy the talking parts during my shows."
At his upcoming Singapore performance, expected to last 2½ hours, he is also likely to chat with his backup dancers. At his 2022 gig here, for example, he plugged a dancer's social media handle and individual projects mid-show.
He said: "I believe everybody on stage is a main character, so I want audiences to also get to know my dancers."
His team, he said, is a close-knit group. In more unfamiliar locations, they even travel together as part of a tour group.
Even after the show ends, he enjoys interacting with fans on social media, replying to their video clips and thanking them for coming.
Singapore holds a special place for him, having visited many times since the 2000s. Thinking back to his early interactions with his local supporters, Lo said: "They would make a 'rocker' hand sign to me, which I found strange because I am not a rock star."
But later on, he realised the sign could also mean "I love you".
"Few fans make that sign these days. They now make the South Korean 'heart' sign with their fingers, which can also mean 'money'," he added with a laugh.
Singapore fans have also gifted him with local food such as pandan cake and Hainanese curry rice. "In the 2000s, many of them stood in the hot weather at my outdoor performances and fanned themselves with the lyric booklets. They looked so cute," he recalled warmly.
His current tour is titled Show Lo's 30th World Tour, and celebrates his 30 years in show business since 1995, when he won a singing and dancing competition in Taiwan with his impersonation of Hong Kong Heavenly King Aaron Kwok.
His early dance inspirations also included Hong Kong-born singer Alex To, Taiwanese pop-rap group L.A. Boyz and the late American superstar Michael Jackson.
Over the decades, Lo has released 14 albums - 13 in Mandarin and one in Japanese.
His most recent, Wu Zhuang Yuan, features traditional Chinese instruments such as the suona, erhu and guzheng. Such instrumentation, he said, is a return to the style of one of his most popular dance hits, Dance Gate (2006), which features a Chinese flute.
Lo's current tour, which is in support of this album, kicked off in Kaohsiung in December 2024 and has travelled to Tokyo and Macau. He said: "I love touring because it allows fans everywhere to see a show I prepared for them."
"Thirty years is a big milestone for me, and my show will feature many familiar songs with new arrangements. Giving it my all, I feel, is the best way for me to repay my fans for the decades of support and love."
Book it/Show Lo 30th World Tour Concert 2025
Where: Resorts World Ballroom, Resorts World Convention Centre, 8 Sentosa Gateway When: Aug 16, 8pm Admission: $128 to $258 via Sistic (go to sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)
