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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᾿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᾿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—or rather very pale
and primitive versions of what was originally planned—in the lobby of the
hotel.
These clips—all of which were recorded between two and three
a.m.—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.
|
