Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 899 Evaluation of Foreign Affairs

Towards the end of the song, Bian Lang stopped Jiu Li's conversation and silently joined in.

Some songs, especially love songs, feel completely different when sung with emotion versus without. At Guo Sichu's level, one can actually draw inspiration from various life experiences or scenes from movies she's watched to express these emotions.

But that is ultimately a mirage separated by time and space; it can't compare to the overwhelming emotion evoked on the spot.

Just look at Faye Wong's reaction when she heard "Jade Butterfly" at Chef Xie's concert, and you'll understand what true, heartfelt love really is...

Seeing the slightly flirtatious exchange between the two, Chen Shuting smiled like an aunt: "Even if you don't want to have children in the future, you can still be a beautiful stepmother, that's really great. Bian Lang's child will be amazing..."

Evelyn, who knew a little about the inside story, sighed. After all, she was the woman who wanted to win Bian Lang's heart, preferably in DGM! Now it seemed that it was basically hopeless.

Putting aside their social status and other factors, Guo Sichu is undeniably striking in appearance, possessing a youthful and radiant face. Dong Youbian is also handsome, but he doesn't possess the same commanding presence as Guo Sichu.

After the song was finished, Strauss, who was playing the lead vocals, immediately said, "Wave, when we perform this song tomorrow, you can play the lead vocals."

Bian Lang refused without hesitation: "The purpose of asking you and Dili is to make me sing more wholeheartedly. Even if this song is my compensation, I still have to sing along with the harmonies. You two lead guitarists can't slack off!"

Upon hearing this, Strauss's smile widened. As he said before, Rolling Stones gives everyone ample opportunity to shine, and Bian Lang was not treated differently because of her nationality.

And they even gave her a grand welcome back to Wales! It seems no other Rolling Stones musician has ever received such treatment…

"Bian Lang, I'm done here, can we start now?"

“Okay, no problem!” Bian Lang agreed verbally, but walked towards Hua Yan’s keyboard area.

The arrangement of "The Great Gig In The Sky" by Bian Lang is based on Pink Floyd's 1988 live performance, which featured a dual-keyboard setup at the time.

Hua Yan had previously exchanged opinions with Bian Lang, so he would choose one voice part first and leave the rest to Bian Lang, saving the trouble of having to bring Su Kan over.

So today's version is the version with the second keyboardist and lead vocalist. Even Lonely Master probably didn't expect this version to come out!
The prelude begins with a piano melody played by Hua Yan, followed by Bian Lang and Di Li slowly joining in with Da Yong's steady snare drum rhythm...

On this night, the lighting technician, unsure of what light to use, simply provided a dim blue light, which enhanced the psychedelic atmosphere of the entire stage.

Listening to the mysterious and ethereal piece played by these guys on stage, almost everyone present, who were hearing it for the first time, felt that the quality of tonight's rehearsal was simply amazing!

"Is this a song that Rolling Stones is saving for the final show? We already had such a big cliffhanger with 'Wish You Were Here,' if the fans find out there's something this amazing coming up, what will happen?"

Just as Juli finished speaking, Ivo looked at the smug-looking Phimos and said, "Phimos, how about I talk to Wave and suggest we have two guest bands for the next show too..."

"You have the right to say what you want! But I don't think Wave would agree."

"why?"

"Because that match was very different in significance!"

Phimos couldn't quite put his finger on how they were different, but that's just how he felt!
At this time, there were still some music fans who had come early to scout out the area gathered in Red Square, and Yelena Isinbayeva and other senior figures in the inner circle were also there.

A year later, she also wanted to see how Rolling Stones would perform when they went from being guests to the main characters.

She had seen everything that was supposed to be there during the previous rehearsals, but this unexpected surprise was particularly captivating. Especially after Bian Lang started singing…

"Ah...ah ah...ah..."

Starting with A4, I felt no pressure at all, and then I went back and forth between the 4th and 5th high notes to find my rhythm.

“Is Wave warming up her voice? But it doesn’t seem like it…” Upon hearing this self-doubt, Evelyn, who had been by her side the whole time, could only shake her head and say, “I don’t know either, this song isn’t on the performance list for this show!”

"Really?" After a brief moment of surprise, Isinbayeva said with regret, "That's a bit of a shame, but I feel like the melody of this song isn't really suited for a male voice?"

Evelyn knew this: "This song wasn't prepared for him, but for Miss Guo, who just finished singing!"

Isinbayeva nodded knowingly, then stopped talking and listened attentively.

Just as she had predicted, the entire song was four and a half minutes long, and Bian Lang didn't sing any lyrics other than "ah," but it was like the blank space in a traditional Chinese painting, leaving people with endless room for imagination.

The emotions and energy that each person experiences during this chanting are completely different.

As for Guo Sichu, her ideas were completely different from the others. As the official singer of this song, she had already thought about how to perform it when she received the melody and arrangement demo from Bian Lang.

To be more precise, it should be about what kind of emotion to use to perform, because there are no concrete lyrics to support it, and she herself has no idea.

For example, if you give Zhang Yu's sad love songs to Zu Hai to sing, you might end up with a "Good Luck" version of "The Rain Keeps Falling".

If Aunt Long were to sing it while it's still alive, this thing would be even more amazing.

Therefore, after listening to the arrangement demo many times, Guo Sichu brought in the general theme of "sadness", but she had not yet found the feeling for the specific sub-themes.

For example, the subtle changes in emotions such as the grief of losing a loved one or something else are what a singer of her caliber can feel and express.

Today, as she listened to Bian Lang sing this part, she barely opened her eyes the entire time. In that song without lyrics, all she heard was a faint sorrow of reminiscence!
In her opinion, Bian Lang was not that kind of person.

Moreover, based on her understanding of Bian Lang's past experiences, Guo Sichu felt that, apart from the Dong Youbian period, there were probably no other instances of him who could be regarded as a faint sorrowful memory.

But if it were that part, Bian Lang's emotions shouldn't have been so subdued.

She had seen the video of "Don't Break My Heart," and she could feel how frenzied Bian Lang was back then, even through the screen. That kind of emotion couldn't have faded so much over time; it would only have fluctuating emotional output.

"So, Bian Lang, what secret are you hiding in your heart?"

With this question in mind, Guo Sichu took a deep breath, spun around on her high stool, and shifted her gaze from Bian Lang at the keyboard to the audience before looking down at them. She then began to gather her emotions. Having just finished playing the piece "Di Li," she also let out a long sigh before turning back to give Bian Lang and Hua Zi a thumbs-up.

"For the first joint training session, this is quite an achievement!" Bian Lang gave an OK sign and said to Hua Yan.

Meanwhile, Olaf, on the other end of the mixing console, was already expressing his thoughts through his in-ear monitor: "Wave, if you keep doing this, how can you guarantee the accuracy of the lyrics when it comes to recording?"

Bian Lang ignored him completely, saying, "Even Pink Floyd can't guarantee it, how can you expect me to?"

This song is all about "Xia Ji Ba" singing, allowing each singer to express their own unique feelings about the song.

In fact, "The Great Gig in the Sky" depicts the fear of an individual facing death.

There's a soft whisper in the middle of the song: "If you can hear the whispering, you are dying!"

Hearing this will make you feel a chill in your heart, yet it also seems to interpret a magnanimous and composed view of life and death: from the moment of birth, everyone is on the road to death.

The song evolved from piano chords played by Richard, and later Clare Torry was brought in to improvise the vocal part. The experimental screams were a product of pure spontaneity.

Seeing that Bian Lang showed no sign of responding, Olaf had no choice but to give up and quietly wait for Guo Sichu to find her mood.

About a minute later, "The Great Gig in the Sky" finally welcomed its first official singer from the Blue Planet!
This recorded rehearsal version became a cherished memory for fans of the song, but also a source of unremembered pain, as it could never be replicated.

……

The official rehearsal on the second day of the day still featured the standard Katyusha rocket launcher vehicles from last year. Even if Bian Lang didn't mention it, the Russians couldn't possibly have left these unprepared.

After all, "The Internationale" and "Katyusha" are must-play songs for the Rolling Stones in Red Square; it feels like the Rolling Stones' Moscow exclusive! Without the Katyusha rocket launcher vehicle, the sense of ceremony of the fighting nation would be greatly reduced.

Seeing this thing placed on both sides of the stage aisle, Dayong went over and wanted to go up to the driver's seat to take a picture as a souvenir. Last year, Bian Lang and the others who could fly and disappear in the front row had their fill of this kind of thing, but he, the drummer sitting in the back, didn't get this treatment.

After returning to China, Chen Wenju watched the performance video and asked Dayong, "Dad, why didn't you move the drum set onto that truck? It looks so cool!"

Da Yong could only explain with a bitter face, "The space upstairs is too small, and it's not easy to fix Dad's drum set! Besides, if Dad makes a mistake in rhythm, it will cause your Uncle Lang and the others to make mistakes as well, and I can't take that responsibility!"

Then Chen Wenju, ever the smooth talker, chimed in, "So, Dad, you're the most indispensable person in the Rolling Stones, right?"

Da Yong nodded somewhat embarrassedly and said, "In any band, the drummer is the most important. How steady the drummer is determines the quality and standard of the band's work!"

Dayong was right, but his wife just smiled and didn't reveal Dayong's past to her son.

That night, after her son fell asleep, she teased Dayong: "Brother Yong, I think you've forgotten what happened before? Aren't you afraid that your son will brag at school and someone knowledgeable will expose you?"

"Let whoever wants to say it say it. What do you mean by 'exposing' me? Am I indispensable to Rolling Stones now? You see, there are substitutes for lead guitarists, bassists, but do drummers have substitutes?"

"Do you think Kong Liang, this firefighter, is a fake?"

Although Sister Yong was sharp-tongued, she actually had absolutely no complaints about Dayong now. He could earn money and was never home, and what's more, he spent all his time hanging out with Bian Lang and his gang of old men, making her life as a housewife incredibly comfortable.

Da Yong thought he would record a video to show Chen Wenju, but when he got closer, he realized that the car was a little different from last year's. Last year's car was just a simple restoration, nothing special.

This year, the Rolling Stones' tongue logo was painted on the doors of both cars!

Upon seeing this, Da Yong immediately went to call Ou Fina over, and then started organizing all the Rolling Stone members to come and take a picture together.

Bian Lang was both surprised and pleased to see this. There was no need to ask; someone on their side must have given instructions to do it. Neither his own team nor anyone from DGM would consider such a thing.

The main problem is that I don't dare to think about it!

This isn't a prop vehicle; it's a real one from the battlefield. If this were to be taken seriously in China, it would be far more serious than singing obscene songs.

But it's different abroad. As long as Ambassador Qin says something positive, there won't be any negative comments coming out of the media.

As if on cue, Ambassador Qin arrived right after Bian Lang finished taking photos.

"Bian Lang, are you free right now? Want to chat for a bit?"

"Yes, the warm-up acts haven't even gone up to do their sound checks yet. Why did Ambassador Qin arrive so early?"

"Right now, your Rolling Stones' tour in Europe is an invaluable public relations tool within our system. We're all going to be following your lead in planning things..."

This is absolutely true; wherever the Rolling Stones go, it makes the local ambassadors feel very proud.

In the past, whether it was organizing cultural exchanges or having other celebrities attend concerts, the format and hype often outweighed the performance itself. But with the Rolling Stones, it was genuinely a case of fans paying for tickets to see the show.

Take Red Square for example. Many music fans could have gotten tickets for free, but tens of thousands of tickets were still completely sold out! And the proportion of Chinese music fans is still less than 10%.

Furthermore, the Rolling Stones have a strong political stance; although they're based overseas, their number of Chinese-language songs is absolutely dominant. If the foreign affairs department doesn't support a band like this, they're practically blind and deaf.

"Ambassador Qin, you're really flattering us..."

"Don't be too modest. The current Rolling Stone deserves our attention! I'm here to be frank with you. No matter what the situation is in China, whether you're in Europe or North America, if there's anything you can't resolve, remember to contact the embassy immediately!"

The nation will always be your strongest backing, but the prerequisite is that you must remain steadfast in your own stance. We all feel that Rolling Stone's influence abroad is quickly surpassing its influence domestically, which is a double-edged sword for you!

Bian Lang nodded, quite pleased with what he heard, and then patted his chest, assuring everyone, "You'll see!"

(End of this chapter)