Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 935 The Band with No Blind Spots and the Substitutes

The applause and cheers from the audience did not stop even though the group did not interact with the audience; in fact, they seemed to be getting even louder.

As for those musicians who truly listened to the music on the first listen, their emotions can only be described as chaotic.

Even the feelings of regret were divided into two camps. The first camp was like Guo Sichu, feeling that if they could replace Guo Sichu as the lead singer, or replace Dili or Huayan.

Karazhan shared the same thought as Silva, and she was standing on the stage right now. However, during the performance of that song, she couldn't even muster the thought of improvising a little.

Even though the sheet music for this song was on the music stand in front of her!

Seeing her gaze fixed on the two still embracing on stage with such a complex expression, Regman whispered beside her, "I have a feeling the recording process for this song will be very complicated, and there might be changes in future live performances. Remember all the details from today; perhaps you'll have your chance!"

While Regman said that, he was actually regretting it in his heart: "This song is so good, why didn't we men get a chance to participate?"

As for Thor, who is still backstage, he is already considering going to Ovation's factory after the show to get a Hawaiian electric guitar just like the one from Tiramisu, as well as the equipment used for tonight's performance.

For no other reason than to have the opportunity to perform this song with the Rolling Stones.

As for the keyboard warriors, they were all extremely envious. After all, as the perennial third-place finisher in the team, they rarely had the opportunity to be in the spotlight like Hua Yan.

If it weren't for the Rolling Stones, most music fans would probably still only focus on the lead singer and guitarist, with very few opportunities for other musicians to shine. But Bian Lang wanted rock music to be a place where everyone could shine.

To be more realistic, who can say for sure what the situation was like for Rolling Stone after they returned to China?
Back home is the Rolling Stones Festival, where the Rolling Stones will again be the headliners on the final day. Putting all their eggs in one basket with Guo Sichu is actually a very irresponsible approach. It's uncertain whether domestic fans, who are used to him as the lead singer, will be able to adapt to Guo Sichu.

There are countless examples of bands that succeeded or failed after changing their lead singers, and Bian Lang certainly doesn't want the Rolling Stones to end up like Black Panther. Although Zhang Qi and Xiang Yahong seem alright, especially Xiang Yahong, they are ultimately still somewhat inferior to Dou Xian.

……

In the next song, Bian Lang channeled Dylan, launching into a performance of an "older man" charming young female fans. Guo Sichu, too, transformed from the leading lady into a devoted fan, simply watching and supporting him from the stage…

The second half of the show was essentially a compilation of the Rolling Stones' new English songs from this tour. From "Wish You Were Here" and "Riders on the Storm" to "Listen To Your Heart," from The Doors to Paul Walker…

If this event were held on Earth, these people in the industry would already be calculating how much the copyright fees would be to bring this concert to fruition!
After all, people like Ms. Zhang, who have been taking advantage of others for ten years and then keeping it for themselves, are ultimately a minority.

Putting aside other things, even with living legends like Pink Floyd and Dylan, you might not be able to get song licenses for concerts without connections. Not to mention Bian Lang's practice of simply exploiting classic songs one by one.

To put it bluntly, if you wanted to gather all these people together for a variety show on Earth, it would be impossible, since some of them have already passed away. But putting on a cover performance of these songs would also be quite difficult.

It's either an underground, non-commercial performance, or it's in China.

When it came to the final track of the planned program, "Free Bird," De Li and Strauss once again delivered a truly outstanding performance. The solo in this song has become a source of endless agonizing anticipation for many Rolling Stones fans; those who have seen it are raving about it!
Those who haven't seen it don't believe it at all... After all, it's only been performed twice before, and this is only the third time!
Of course, there are also a few fans who have followed the song from beginning to end, and even when they hear it for the third time, they are still moved to tears... Although this song does not have the background of the American North and South from Earth, who doesn't love the theme of freedom!

This song wasn't particularly famous in China, and some music fans even traced its origins back to Lei Zi's song "A Diao," though Bian Lang didn't notice. If the argument is based solely on the line "You are a free bird," then all I can say is "heh!"

As for those fans who heard it for the first time, if "Conquer" were on the show, they'd probably be kneeling in admiration by now. Many guitarists who were unconvinced after watching the video before are now completely convinced after seeing the live performance today.

They had been joking beforehand, saying, "Wave is just one person, how could he possibly create so many incredible electric guitar solos in such a short time?"

"Yes, it's hard to say whether it was a piece of music composed by Zhili and the others, and then all of it was attributed to Bian Lang."

But after seeing the Rolling Stones perform live, they really won't think that way anymore, and they'll never make those kinds of jokes again!

These are all musicians, and none of the guitarists who got to perform on stage are the type to willingly act as ghostwriters, especially considering they created such a magnificent piece. No one, no matter how much money, would sell the credits.

Even if they were sold to Bian Lang, they would still have some emotions during the performance. But now, there is no dissatisfaction on the faces of these two people; they only show the enjoyment after having a great performance.

Watching the three of them hug and high-five each other after the event, many guitarists wondered if they could possibly replace one of them.

"If the Rolling Stones are looking for a backup guitarist, I'd like to give it a try. I heard they have a North American tour coming up, and I don't think Ting Li and Strauss are enough, right?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Parker Maybeck, who knew the inside story, interjected: "Thor is waiting backstage. Do you think you have a chance?"

Ronald then added, "Even if Thor has health problems, there's still me and Parker Maybeck, though we'll only be ranked after Bob."

Those who don't understand might scoff at this: "It's just a few songs, can't you just do it yourself? Why do you have to shamelessly try to collaborate with the Rolling Stones?"

To give an imperfect analogy, if you were a professional football player, would the sense of accomplishment from playing for the Chinese national team be more appealing, or would the opportunity to play for one of Europe's top five clubs be more attractive? Even just coming on as a substitute for a short while and touching the Champions League trophy is something to brag about for a lifetime!

Or to use basketball as an analogy, Yao Ming was pretty awesome in the NBA, but Yao Ming also has to admit that Badass and Sun Yue have championship rings!
Therefore, if Ronaldo could be a substitute for the Rolling Stones and travel around North America, he wouldn't even need to be a substitute once or twice for the Free Bird solo. He might be able to move up a few places in the world rankings from 68th.

While the guitarists were all daydreaming and then giving up in disappointment, one keyboardist actually took action. Amidst the chants of "Encore!" from the audience, preventing the Rolling Stones from pretending to leave the stage, he had already used his status as a DGM-signed musician to find Evelyn.

"Hello Ms. Evelyn, my name is Mendes..." After a rather unremarkable introduction, Evelyn immediately guessed his purpose: "Want to join the Rolling Stones?"

"Yes, I had been preparing for this, but I hadn't made up my mind. After watching the entire Rolling Stones performance today, I felt that missing it would be the biggest loss of my life!"

There are plenty of musicians who could say that, and the Rolling Stones are not short of one more.

However, if it's a keyboardist with real talent, Bian Lang definitely needs one. Especially since he plans to write songs and work behind the scenes in Europe over the next year, having a strong keyboardist by his side would definitely be a huge help.

As for Hua Yan, of course he should be appearing in various performances across China with the Rolling Stones! It would be a waste to bring him in as a keyboardist to arrange music for Bian Lang.

Now that Guo Sichu has taken over as the lead singer of Rolling Stones, he'll definitely be inundated with performance invitations, big and small, throughout China over the next year. Bian Lang couldn't possibly stop him; he was more than happy for Guo Sichu to lead his brothers to make a splash in the big entertainment industry!
Evelyn knew about Bian Lang's plan, but she couldn't just settle things so easily and let Bian Lang go for the interview. After all, once this was over, Rolling Stone's time in Europe would be counted down in hours.

"If you'd like me to play a piece for Wave live, I think that's impossible today. You can send me your demo instead..."

“Ms. Evelyn, I only need one minute, or 16 bars will do, or if Wave doesn’t have time, I can play it for Yan…”

This was somewhat unexpected for Evelyn. Although she didn't know the specifics of this keyboardist, she understood the temperament of foreign rock musicians. Getting them to truly submit to someone, especially a fellow musician in a Chinese band, particularly a keyboardist, was no easy feat!

"Mendes, tell me, is this what you really think?"

“I think the Rolling Stones have to be a band without any weaknesses. I see that Yan doesn’t seem to have a replacement yet. Maybe Wave might need two keyboardists to make some changes to the arrangements?”

Upon hearing the words "no blind spots," Evelyn immediately smiled and agreed: "From now on, you'll be working with me. But you really only have one chance, so I hope you've thought carefully about what you want to play!"

When it comes to being flawless from every angle, Pink Floyd is arguably the most flawless band in rock history.

If you want to show off, feel free to shower this band with all your praise, and most people won't dare to disagree. But if you use it on any other band, even The Bugs, it will generate a lot of controversy.

Why are they so tall? What makes them so tall? Perhaps it's because all the members are invincible!

Roger Waters: The leader of Pink Floyd's golden age, a creative genius in a broad sense and across media, with profound thoughts, and a status more like Lennon.

His instrument is bass, that goes without saying, but he is extremely skilled at using effects pedals and various devices. Pink Floyd's psychedelic, avant-garde, and various effects sounds should mainly be attributed to him.

He was also adept at organizing large-scale "shows," making him a master of management and operation. He pioneered the template for large-scale commercial performances, featuring giant pigs flying in the sky and giant searchlights simulating eyeballs. He was also a gifted lyricist, and the political, anti-war, and profound social commentary of Pink Floyd is largely attributed to him.

David Gilmour, the Lonely Old Man
A musical genius, similar to McCartney. He once said in an interview that he wasn't very good at writing lyrics, but he was a melodic genius. He and Wright are the reason why Pink Floyd's songs are so good. He is one of the world's top guitar heroes.

At the same time, I personally believe that he is the true soul of Pink Floyd. Because no matter how amazing, thoughtful, or visionary Floyd is, if the music isn't good, it's still not enough. You need the foundation to become a world-class band before you can even talk about slogans. Even without Floyd, Pink Floyd's music and solos are still enough to be considered legendary.

Richard Wright, a keyboardist, may not be as musically creative as Gilmour, but he is still quite remarkable.

Wright's actual composing ability is also very good. Bian Lang specifically listened to a few of his solo albums, and they were good, but... not outstanding. He's the kind of person who was very lucky to partner with two unparalleled geniuses and unleash his full potential, but that's all. He can't replace Lonely's abilities.

But thankfully! A counter-example would be The Doors.

The band's keyboardist is a genius, but his talent overshadows the guitar, causing the Doors' climax to feel weak. The soul of rock and roll is the electric guitar; the keyboard is best used as an accessory. If it overshadows the guitar, it's easy to go wrong. In this respect, Wright has done a very good job.

Nick Mason (drummer) is similar to the ring star of the Beatles; he's important, but it seems like you could replace him.

McCartney once commented on Ringo's drumming skills, saying that he wasn't the best drummer among the four Beatles. I think that statement would be quite fitting for Nick as well.

Of course, Da Yong is definitely the best player here at Rolling Stones!
And what about Syd Barrett? Syd is much harder to evaluate.

He was the original leader of the band and an undisputed genius. He was the one who made Pink Floyd what it is today; without him, the original three members of Pink Floyd—Waters, Wright, and Mason—might have spent their lives as architects.

He also cultivated the spirit of Pink Floyd: independent and avant-garde, and although it was overly commercialized, you couldn't feel their commercialism. But he died too soon, so the achievements of Pink Floyd after losing him completely overshadowed his brilliance.

The albums and songs that cemented Pink Floyd's legendary status were all created after his departure, which puts Syd in a very awkward position.

What could he have created if he hadn't left? To what extent could his genius have been fully realized? These questions and regrets will never be answered, because we can never discuss possibilities.

This is the group of people who were known as having "no blind spots" on Earth.

Comparing them like this, Hua Yan's position is indeed the weakest! His skills are impeccable, but no one can guarantee that Hua Yan will remain healthy and in top form throughout the year that Rolling Stones may face, which could be a difficult and pivotal year!
(End of this chapter)