Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 991 City of Rock
After Guo Sichu fell asleep back at the hotel, Bian Lang immediately put her phone on silent and then stayed by her bedside until he fell asleep as well.

When Guo Sichu woke up, it was already noon. After checking her phone, Bian Lang called out to her, "Get up, you sleepyhead. All your friends in your circle have arrived..."

Hearing this, Guo Sichu mumbled sleepily, "It's okay, they can play by themselves. I'm going to sleep a little longer..."

After saying that, she turned over and went back to sleep. But she hadn't been asleep for five minutes when Bian Lang, who had just finished washing up, got up and said, "Liu Yao will deal with them for now. Let's eat something at the hotel and go slowly. I'll introduce you to them later."

In truth, given Bian Lang's current reputation and status in the music industry, he doesn't need Guo Sichu's introduction at all; any singer would come to him on their own initiative. But Bian Lang knows that this acquaintance has another meaning: Guo Sichu wants to introduce him to her friends as her boyfriend.

No matter what's circulating online or how much the couple shows affection, nothing beats a face-to-face introduction.

This also involves the attitude of taking sides online. If you don't say it to their faces, even if the artists want to interact, some might have to put on airs. If Bian Lang encounters some trouble, and his studio and company obstruct him, some people who have a good personal relationship with him might just ignore him because they didn't say it to his face.

This is the reality of the entertainment industry!
In the original Chinese entertainment industry, fake friendships and superficial brotherhoods were commonplace, and those who climbed to the top by stepping on their brothers were even more numerous. Take, for example, the "Backstabbing Cult" group...

At this moment, within the Rolling Stones' camp, which had been completely unblocked for the previous two days, a section was now genuinely cordoned off from music fans. There was no way around it; both die-hard fans and regular festival enthusiasts were showing up in large numbers today.

When they were preparing to let people in at 12:30, the surrounding streets were completely paralyzed. The total number of people who entered in the previous two days was also quite high, almost reaching 100,000, but the arrival times were not this concentrated.

Some people only come to see their favorite bands, and they basically arrive at the exact time. Considering the weather in Haikou and the relatively weaker lineup during the day, it would be quite good if the crowd at the beginning of the show could reach one-third of the peak.

Whether on Earth or on Planet Blue, very few people can actually manage to run an entire music festival.

For example, at the 500 Miles Music Festival in a certain year on Earth, Bian Lang's performance was the most memorable. Although their band wasn't the opening act, they were scheduled as the second act, which was quite an awkward time.

Bian Lang recalled that under the scorching sun, there were only three rows of music fans standing in the audience. But by the time Secretary Ma and his team went on stage near lunchtime, it was difficult to even walk across the largest platform at the Dianchi Convention and Exhibition Center.

When Chen Li and Brother B performed later, the organizers said there were over 20,000 people in the audience. Whether that number is accurate or not, I, as someone at the event, personally witnessed a completely different crowd compared to the daytime scene, and experienced the stark contrast...

Therefore, today's situation is quite unusual no matter where it is placed.

Pan Jianhu, who was urgently sending extra people to help maintain order, couldn't help but complain when he saw the considerable number of support supplies for Guo Sichu in the crowd: "This isn't her solo concert. Rolling Stones are supposed to be last on stage. What are all these people doing here so early?"

If the creators of other music festivals heard this complaint, which had a strong Versailles vibe, they would probably want to strangle Pan Jianhu.

But the problem now is that the leaders in Haikou, who are also stuck in the crowd, are feeling a headache coming on: "The temperature is not low. What if some music fans suffer from heatstroke?"

The tourism and cultural leaders who came from elsewhere for an inspection wanted to curse upon hearing this: "With this kind of crowd, you should be grateful! I don't believe you didn't have ambulances or other emergency vehicles waiting nearby..."

This cultural tourism inspection team went to Kunming first and then came here. The reason for adding this trip at the last minute was because they saw the positive impact of "The Big Band" on Kunming and wanted to talk to Rolling Stone about cooperation.

However, at Rolling Stone's headquarters in Kunming, only Old Tan, who was in charge of the LAB business, was on duty, and they couldn't find him to talk to. In addition, Wu Hao now had a lot of leverage, and no matter how much they tried to appeal to his emotions, he wouldn't budge on helping.

After all, he would love nothing more than to keep all of the Rolling Stones' shows in Yunnan Province!
He had previously spoken seriously with Bian Lang: "After your ban is lifted, maybe you should consider forgoing the national tour and just hold 10 consecutive shows in Kunming. We'll do everything we can to protect Rolling Stones! We guarantee that none of those ridiculous things will happen..."

This idea is undeniably bold, and Bian Lang found it quite exciting, but he wouldn't try it for the time being.

After all, this isn't Kunming or Hong Kong, or the kind of legendary success stories like the opening of multiple properties in Hung Hom. Just hearing about Bianlang makes me think it's incredibly amazing!

Especially the one who holds the record, Bian Lang really didn't expect it at all before he heard about it...

First Place: Sam Hui's Glorious Retirement Concert in 1992 (41 shows)
第二名：张学友1995年张学友演唱会 1995年8-9月（34场）连续
Third place: Leslie Cheung's farewell concert in 1989, December 1989 (33 shows)
第三名：梅艳芳1990百变梅艳芳夏日耀光华演唱会1990年7月20日至8月18日（共32场）连续
Fourth Place: Paula Tsui's 1989 Golden Splendor Paula Tsui Concert - Starting on New Year's Eve 1989 (30 consecutive shows)
Fifth Place: Aaron Kwok's 2000 LIVE ON STAGE Concert, starting December 8, 2000 (28 consecutive shows)
Sixth place: Leon Lai - That Night We Danced Under the Neon Lights (1995) (26 consecutive performances)
第七名：郭富城1998百事郭富城一变倾城演唱会 1998年10月10日开始（25场）连续
第七名：张学友1993年学与友演唱会 1993年9-10月（25场）连续
If the Rolling Stones were to perform 41 shows in a row, I think it would be exhausting. I really don't know how these iron men managed to keep going. This is probably why people later said that Hong Kong artists were miles ahead of mainland artists; these records seem unreal.

But if we wait a few years, until the Rolling Stones truly stand at the pinnacle of world rock, and plan carefully, Bian Lang believes that holding a dozen or so shows with intervals should still be possible.

If we could label Kunming as the "City of Rock and Roll," that would be perfect!

Bian Lang kept this matter to himself, but someone else was seriously planning it as part of their future term. That person was the director of the SJZ Culture and Tourism Bureau…

He happened to be in the inspection team at that moment, and looking at the throngs of people, the director felt a little indignant: "Why put such a good music festival in Haikou, a city with no rock culture? If it were in our SJZ..."

Bian Lang wasn't sure about the current situation of SJZ, but the original SJZ on Earth certainly had a solid foundation and a strong reputation. Shortly before Bian Lang's time travel, SJZ, who had declared their intention to create a rock city, "shaked" the veteran Xing Di, who had been away from the stage for a long time.

After 23 years, Xing Di's label has changed back from "former lead singer of the Horizon Band" to "lead singer of the Horizon Band," although he is the only one who has remained with the band from the beginning.

Xing Di was the lead singer of SJZ's first true rock band, and now he is using the old band's name to prepare to build a brand new lineup.

"Sunset and sunrise, the horizon has endured countless sunsets, so it deserves to let the sun rise from it. Where it ends, it begins again, endlessly, just like my rock and roll journey." Xing Di's words seem to explain the origin of the band's name, but aren't they also the reason why Chinese rock and roll has survived time and time again!
In China, the first real rock concert was held in SJZ, with a large audience, including many people from Beijing who came specifically for the event. In the 80s, the American rock bands "Sunrise" and "Tragic Friday" came to China to participate in cultural exchange activities between the two countries, and SJZ was their first stop.

That performance ignited Xing Di's "rock and roll dream." "It's like planting a seed in my heart. I thought it was great that a few people could play and sing such good music! When I grow up, I want to play rock and roll too."

"And the magazine 'I Love Rock and Roll' proves that SJZ has made a great contribution to the development of Chinese rock and roll."

Many rock bands from all over the country came to SJZ for interviews and introduced themselves through this magazine. The magazine also compiled information on the history of rock music, music knowledge, and the latest news. SJZ provided a 'fertile ground' for the development of Chinese rock music. It is no exaggeration to say that rock musicians across the country were very grateful to SJZ in those years.

Later, SJZ's "Omnipotent Youth Hotel" band solidified their current status in the rock scene with their song "Kill That SJZ Person." This also spawned other excellent original rock bands such as Relativity, Pulse, Wangcai, Fever Syndrome, Planet Collision, Rotating Axis, and Leader of Dawn.

That city has no shortage of rock musicians and rock enthusiasts, but it lacks a platform to showcase their talents and gain wider recognition. Therefore, building a "rock city" is both a calling card for the city and a new opportunity.

Later, as the city gained more attention, controversy followed. From the moment SJZ declared their intention to create a "rock city," netizens questioned: Can SJZ really rock out?

Xing Di wants to vindicate his city: "After we, as the first local band, released our album, at least a dozen real rock bands should have been established in SJZ. SJZ is a young city, and we need to find a suitable place to 'heat up' it."

We have a rich rock and roll culture, and the government has proposed and promoted this idea. 'Rock and roll' as a fashionable city brand for SJZ is certainly a great choice.

Rock City is a platform for all musicians, and a new opportunity for the city. Every rock musician should cherish it.

Once the concept of a 'City of Rock' is proposed, it should be regarded as an enduring symbol of the city, and efforts should be made continuously towards this goal. In Xing Di's view, a 'City of Rock' is more than just a few months of performances. The core of building a City of Rock lies in rock music itself and the people, in having people who can truly make rock music and in producing good musicians and bands.

He also suggested to the authorities that a neighborhood be built as a base for rock music, including professional recording studios, rehearsal rooms, and performance venues, to attract people who love rock music to create and grow here.

Whether this will ultimately be achieved remains to be seen, but isn't what he's currently doing in Kunming exactly the same thing? However, Yunnan Province, with its abundant natural resources, may not be as proactive in promoting this as SJZ.

After all, it's not absolutely necessary to do it.
But Bianlang is someone whose hometown he cherishes and would never go elsewhere...

When Bian Lang and Guo Sichu arrived at the scene, Jin Ma had already shouted on stage, "Hello everyone, we are the poets of Mayuan!"

Although, given Ma Yuan Poet's current status, he could easily skip opening the show to boost his popularity and familiarity, they're not giving up to anyone today. The entire lineup for today's performance consists of bands from Rolling Stone Records.

With the Rolling Stones leading the way, everyone naturally assumed that the other bands were just there to open for them. Therefore, the Golden Horse Awards wanted to give a great opening performance to Bian, who had shown them great promise.

He felt that precisely because Bian Lang couldn't perform, they needed to put on an even higher performance for Bian Lang and for the Rolling Stones. As for how high, it would be enough if, in the future, whenever someone mentioned the Rolling Stones Festival, or any music festival held in Haikou, today's performance would be seriously mentioned.

"When...the rainbow blows..." Their last song was about Kunming. After singing, he cleverly shouted to the fans in the audience: "I hope everyone will have the opportunity to visit Kunming. We, the band from Rolling Stones, will be waiting for you at Rolling Stones LAB, bringing you the best live performance..."

After hearing this, Bian Lang whistled from the cordon and then led the shout: "Poet of Mayuan!"

During the changeover, Bian Lang was called back to the Rolling Stone camp. This wasn't because Guo Sichu wanted him back for a social engagement, but because leaders from Haikou's cultural and tourism sector, along with an inspection team, were already waiting there. Liang Kuan arrived for a while, but finding the atmosphere incompatible with his own, he called Lao Pan over to keep him company.

But there were some things that made Lao Pan uneasy, so he still called Bian Lang over to show his face. He knew that Bian Lang's ideas were always right for Rolling Stone, so...

Although Bian Lang found this kind of thing annoying, he still had to come over and chat for a bit. Most of the people in the inspection team were there to find a future venue for the Rolling Stones Music Festival, so dealing with them wasn't difficult.

But after the main group left, the director of SJZ, who had secretly left the team, gave Bian Lang a big slap on the wrist: "Bian Lang, I'm different from them. They might come over to ask about prices and then go back to do all sorts of research, but I can make a decision right away. Next year, the Rolling Stones will have an episode at our SJZ festival, and I'll also invite the Rolling Stones to open a branch in SJZ. All the policies you get will be the best in China..."

Upon hearing this, Pan Jianhu was already planning: "When I get back, I'll tell Director Wu what I said and see how they handle it!"

(End of this chapter)