Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 976 Summer Finale
The two reconnected because of New Pants. When Goat sang "Life is Hot Because of You" on The Big Band, it brought tears to Yang Kai's eyes, who was drinking at LAB at the time.

Although he had one or two relationships afterward, when he heard the lyrics, "Girls in cubicles can become beautiful over time. I will marry her and take her to a small town for the New Year. Forget about rock and roll, the era that is gone forever..." all that came to Yang Kai's mind was Liu Zhizhi.

Then he found this particular video online and, almost without thinking, sent it to Liu Zhizhi.

Liu Zhizhi, as if possessed, clicked to read it and then asked, "Where are you?"

Whenever they recall this moment from a few months ago, both of them want to thank Goat for singing and Bian Lang for writing the song. Undoubtedly, for a long time to come, New Pants will be their signature band. Even when Goat underperformed in the last performance, and many began to miss the consistently reliable Bian Lang, the two never lost faith in Goat.

As it turned out, their bet actually came true... and tonight, while eating and watching the live broadcast here, they even ran into Bian Lang, making them incredibly happy.

Liu Zhizhi clapped along with Bian Lang, and Yang Kai started singing along:

Unexpected heavy rain

Trapped together

You sing a melody of worries.

It has deeply attracted me…

When the tune started again, Bian Lang watched the goat's hysterical dejection and thought to himself, "This guy's performance on stage is really not much different from Peng Lei's."

"Each light hug"
Music danced in the darkness
Tears are all for the past.

Love will eventually separate us.
Don't laugh at us.
Our love is insignificant.

I want to be with you

Let's sing this summer's final song together...

For the final outro, Bian Lang didn't offer much detailed advice; he just wanted to see the guy's stage presence. As a result, Di Li and his group rehearsed several more times, elevating the final outro solo to another level.

Although the segment where Peng Lei handed over the guitar was no longer included, the scene of Kong Liang, Mu Mian, Su Kan, and Ouyang Zhong having a blast together, just like the song title suggests, was not only a finale to summer but also a conclusion to the end of "The Big Band".

No matter how intense the sparks of "The Big Band" are, they will eventually fade away one day.

"If Bian Lang had sung 'Summer Finale,' the song would have been even more meaningful!" This is the sentiment shared by everyone watching the show. Unfortunately, some things, once missed, are gone forever and can never be made up for.

Bian Lang stood on the stage, looking back at the stage that was about to close, and tears streamed down his face.

Thinking back to the first season of "The Big Band" on Earth, even if these rock musicians scoffed at those things, weren't they all secretly moved to tears?

The first season of "The Big Band" brought together 31 representative and influential young Chinese bands, including Reflector, Painkiller, New Pants, The Trip, Hedgehog, and Mr. Turtle. Through different themed segments and musical performances, the bands showcased the charm and creativity of their original music, competing for a spot in the HOT 5 band competition.

Among the 31 bands, there are not only veteran bands that have been established for more than 20 years, but also emerging young bands born after 95. They cover different musical styles, including punk, metal, funk, folk, reggae, rock, electronic and so on, all of which are presented in the program.

The guests on the show act as super fans. They are neither mentors nor team leaders. Instead, they watch performances with the audience, ask questions of the bands, and learn about band culture together with the public, just like other music fans.

Comparing his rendition of "The Big Band" to his own, Bian Lang felt both joy and regret. Before this, he thought his biggest regret was not being able to lead Hedgehog to the end. But after learning the final results and seeing the final presentation, he regretted interfering too much.

The people are no longer the same, so it's absolutely impossible to perfectly replicate the past. In that case, why try to recreate the past? In the last two episodes, he wasn't there, and his advice and guidance were gone. Although he gave us the songs, the performances were the ones that resonated with him the most.

"Next year I'll just let go and enjoy the game..."

With this thought in mind, Bian Lang's thoughts drifted back to the original Earth's "The Big Band" as the final note played.

When the original Earth version of "The Big Band" had only aired six episodes, it already had a Douban rating of 8.4.

But actually, very few people knew about "The Big Band" back then. Despite the excitement among industry insiders, "The Big Band" didn't seem to bring summer to the bands.

At that time, "The Big Band" was on the verge of being buried, but it really shouldn't have been buried.

Back then, when people talked about bands, they could only think of music festivals and beer festivals; they probably couldn't even imagine live performances.

At the peak of their era, rock music was synonymous with Cui Jian, the Magic Rock Three, Tang Dynasty, and Beyond, and the Hong Kong Coliseum came to mind. These bands were symbols of an era, leading the musical trends of young people, and they shone with unparalleled brilliance.

As the producer of "The Big Band," Mu Di inadvertently learned about the living conditions of bands and the tenacity of those in bands—their dedication to performing even while working part-time, without earning money, and without recognition. She shared this with her company members, including Ma Dong, who all agreed with her.

Then they approached Modern Sky for a collaboration, and thus "The Big Band" came into being.

Initially, many bands came with the intention of giving face to the industry insiders, but they didn't expect the show's producers to be serious. Just like the shock that "The Big Band" on Aquamarine Planet brought to the Rolling Stones-affiliated bands, the ultimate audio-visual experience brought by "The Big Band" on Earth not only thrilled music fans, but also delighted the participating bands.

Although not many people said it outright, Bian Lang and his circle of friends all knew that among the bands that went that time, there were definitely several who had never even touched a performance with this level of equipment and sound team before. In this respect, Bian Lang believed he had done a good job, and it wasn't just the equipment; the stage was also better than the one on Earth.

Some people think it's unnecessary to spend money on these semi-permanent items, but people like Liang Kuan can see that "this is making it more difficult for imitators."

Putting everything else aside, even the programs that Hunan TV had already agreed to collaborate on, after watching them, Lao Jiang shook his head repeatedly: "If this program were in my hands, I wouldn't even be able to keep up with the numbers!"

That's true. If it weren't for Rolling Stone, and if appearance fees were calculated based on the market price for this staff, Hunan TV would definitely have lost money in the initial accounting stages.

But whenever he recalls those tearful moments on the show, his artistic side makes him feel that measuring the show's significance by making money is a bit vulgar.

The original Earth version of the show "The Big Band" had only aired a few episodes when three of the super fans were already moved to tears. During the cover competition, the Penicillin band performed Pu Shu's "NEWBOY," the first song from Pu Shu's first album. Zhang Yadong recalled the years he spent making music with Pu Shu and choked up so much that he couldn't speak, using several tissues just to wipe away his tears.

When Wonfu sang Wu Qingfeng's "Unparalleled Beauty", it may have touched a chord in Wu Qingfeng's heart, directly bringing tears to his eyes.

Although the song "Rukawa Kaede and Aoi Sora" by the Black Pepper Band has been renamed, it still moved Ma Dong to tears.

"Stories like this happen in this city every year."
Such stories end every year, disappearing into the wind.
Do you still remember how deeply he and she loved each other back then?
He is her Rukawa Kaede, she is his Aoi Sora…

The emotions conveyed by the music reached the depths of the heart, transcending language... The Shaanxi accent of the Black Saz Band did not prevent Bian Lang and the other grown men from having tears welling up in their eyes.

Rock and roll, in some people's hearts, may be as beautiful as first love, but in the end, they all become dust in their memories that cannot be picked up with their fingers.

Compared to the original Earth, the reach of "The Big Band" on Planet Blue is undoubtedly much greater. According to Bilibili's data at this time, the number of clicks has exceeded 1.5 times the target, and the peak number of concurrent online users is approaching 200 million!

As for Blueberry TV, they couldn't see the real-time data, but You Xuefeng could tell from the tone of the station director's phone call inviting Bian Lang to dinner that he probably already knew something about the situation through some channels.

Putting everything else aside, what Wu Hao had initially guessed was just a possible visit and reception has now been completely confirmed. Moreover, it wasn't just the personnel from the neighboring provinces mentioned before; this time, higher-ups were also coming. It's said that Yunnan Province possesses uniquely advantageous climate and landscape resources, but its film and television industry still ranks near the bottom in the country.

The immense popularity of "The Big Band" is expected to serve as a positive example for the development of Yunnan Province's film and television cultural industry.

……

The Big Band has finally come to an end. The final TOP 5 rankings are: first place for New Pants, second place for The Face, third place for Hedgehog, and fourth and fifth place for Pastoral Song and Control Stick respectively.

It looks like a script, but the musicians of Pastoral Song and the joystick themselves know that the top three rankings are indeed indisputable.

The shared regret is that if Bian Lang hadn't been banned, what would it have been like if he had led Hedgehog to take the TOP 1 spot?

Old Zhao and his friends skipped the Rolling Stones Music Festival this time and came to the Blueberry Music Festival in Shanghai. They had just finished watching the music and were leaving their hotel, looking for a place to grab a drink. Suddenly, the Blueberry Music Festival's event manager called Old Zhao: "Hey Zhao, I know a nice spot over there, wanna go for a bit?"

That place belongs to no one but a bar in which Lao Yao has a stake. If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the location for the Rolling Stones LAB Shanghai branch.

They had been doing live streams before, but the management probably wasn't really focused on it, and they weren't insiders. Plus, the investors weren't short of money, so it never really took off.

At this moment, the four partners had just finished watching the show. Except for Lao Yao, the other three had red eyes. They all love rock music and have never stopped. With "The Big Band" by their side, they spent this summer filled with laughter and tears. Now that it's over, the huge emptiness and sense of loss in their hearts is like concert syndrome.

The air had been quiet for about a minute when the tattooed man finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Old Yao, when you get to the scene, tell us, this... this really isn't scripted?"

After hearing this, Old Yao shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "A script? A script can shut down Bianlang?"

"That's true! How could I forget about that? If that hedgehog hadn't been banned, it would have been a sure thing to be number one, right?"

Old Yao still shook his head: "Who can say for sure? Judging from the results so far, Hedgehog's song isn't as relevant to the theme as New Pants'. Plus, with Goat's explosive performance, Bian Lang will probably be knocked down too..."

"How the hell did it end already? When will they start filming the next season? Will we be able to go and watch it live as one of their own?"

The four chatted for a short while before Blueberry's art manager brought Lao Zhao and the others in.

Upon seeing the equipment on the stage, Old Zhao laughed and said, "How did you find this place? Looks like you do live shows too. I've never heard of this place before."

The arts management didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "The boss isn't short of money; he just likes to have fun and listen to rock music, so he set up this place. Who knows, this might become the Shanghai stop of the Rolling Stones LAB in the future..."

Old Zhao immediately knew the purpose of bringing them here tonight: "A performance is planned for the next couple of days?"

"Yes, two of the shareholders here are your music fans..."

Before long, the four partners were drinking with Lao Zhao and the others. As they chatted, even Lao Zhao's eyes welled up with tears: "I never thought that after all these years of our Muge being so lukewarm, we could still find such die-hard fans as you!"

After finishing his drink, the tattooed man continued with great emotion, "When we first heard that you guys were going to be on a variety show, we all found it unbelievable. Before, it was your own business if you, Lao Zhao, were on it alone, but I didn't quite believe that a whole band would be on it together."

Later we found out it was true, and we almost went so far as to buy tickets from scalpers, but Rolling Stones' regulations were too strict... To be honest, I was worried about Mu Ge's condition during a few of the later shows..."

The tattooed man became more and more excited as he spoke, but Old Zhao felt increasingly uneasy as he listened.

If it weren't for the show, he himself would never have known that his band actually had so many die-hard fans supporting him!

If it weren't for Bian Lang, they might not have known that they possessed such strong energy and could influence these music fans...

The chat here ended with a toast to "The Big Band". Whether you're a band or a fan, I believe that after tonight's disappointment, you'll wake up tomorrow as one of the millions of enthusiastic supporters of "The Big Band".

Some have already started watching tonight, and many of them are fans who have only watched "The Big Band" and have never said a word about it on social media. In their previous lives, no one even remembered that they used to like rock music!

Perhaps it's just like that lyric:
Don't laugh at us

Our love is insignificant.

I want to be with you

Let's sing this summer's final song together...

(End of this chapter)