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+---
+title: One Night In Beijing
+date: 2010/07/14
+tags: music, youku, video, show
+---
+
+When I noticed that the online voting system for the big Niuren 2010 event was
+not to be trusted, I was pretty convinced not be one of those chosen to perform
+on stage in Bejing. In order to be sure, I wrote a message to my friend at
+Youku. Some hours later I was informed that disregarding the number of the
+votes (which did turn out to be comparatively high in the end) I was supposed
+to be invited to give a performance on the Stick. After all formal issues were
+agreed upon, I prepared to leave for Beijing on Sunday morning with the Chapman
+Stick in tow.
+
+When I arrived at the venue I was surprised to find the stage to be a lot
+larger than I anticipated.
+
+<img class="full" src="/images/posts/niuren2010_beijing_stage.jpg" alt="The stage in Beijing"/>
+
+When it was time for my soundcheck the clouds had formed a dark opaque blanket
+across the unattractive skies of Beijing and at times rain drops mixed with the
+soil on the vast meadow to form squishy mud. The crew seemed to marvel at the
+impression of hearing two instruments' sounds, each articulated by one
+individual hand on its own set of strings but on one instrument.
+
+At about ten o&#8127;clock in the evening, the show began. It only lasted for
+about 15 minutes as the occasional rain proceeded to grow into drowning
+vertical streams of water. The stage was lacking any sort of rain protection
+and it didn&#8127;t take long until the stage lights went off as the cables
+were drenched.
+
+The show was eventually cancelled which only made sense considering that most
+of the mud-dwellers in front of the stage had given up their hopes for better
+weather and had left the premises in shoals.
+
+Disappointed we returned to the hotel. When finally everybody had returned we
+discussed with the organizers how to proceed, how to salvage the investment. At
+first the idea was going around to stage the event on Monday evening, without
+an audience, just recording and pretending it all happened the day before. This
+idea was soon discarded, though, when the organizers learned that most of had
+would be flying back home on Monday morning. A compromises was found when the
+decision was made to record individual performances&mdash;or rather very pale
+and primitive versions of what was originally planned&mdash;in the lobby of the
+hotel.
+
+![Recording video clips in the hotel lobby at 2am](/images/posts/niuren2010_beijing_lobby.jpg)
+
+These clips&mdash;all of which were recorded between two and three
+a.m.&mdash;are supposed to serve as teasers for the actual show which has now
+been postponed to some time in August or September. I will add the links to
+those video clips in the next few days, provided I can find them. A new entry
+will be posted once the date for the postponed show in Beijing has been
+confirmed.
+
+**Update (July 29):*** The short video clip has been uploaded. You can [watch
+it on youku](http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTkzMzc1NDI4.html).
+
+**Update:*** Gao Ming interviewed the participants during the preparations of
+the show. There is a 25+ minutes [video clip on
+youku](http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg5NzMwNDI4.html). At about 2:40 he comes
+across the table where I am relaxing with other participants.