Rock and Roll: Glorious Years

Bian Lang was mentally prepared for this, but he didn't know what the cultural troupe's specific thoughts were.

He felt there was nothing wrong with the lyrics, and if he had to change anything, the only thing he could think of was the performers.

After all, to be able to perform at this kind of gala, one must be virtuous and talented, which is the basic requirement. Even if it's just a poetry recitation, unless you're a national-level artist, you should at least have some merit or achievement.

"If Da Yong wants to go on the field, he'll definitely lose his dreadlocks."

Just as Bian Lang was pondering this, Director Lin spoke up again: "Bian, the main problem is this: the performance venue is the Huaxia Grand Theatre next door. The stage is too big, and if only your band members perform, it will look too monotonous. We discussed two solutions in our meeting: one is to add a dance troupe, and the other is to add a choir."

Hearing this, I understand now. It turns out they felt the scale wasn't big enough. For these kinds of large-scale galas, solo performances always need to be accompanied by a group of dancers; otherwise, the stage effect will indeed be rather lackluster.

However, Bian Lang felt that both of these options were somewhat unsuitable. After all, the rhythm of the song was fixed, and with his own imagination, he couldn't figure out what the choreography would look like.

"I think..." He had only uttered three words when Ding Tong, who was sitting next to him, tugged at him.

This little gesture naturally didn't escape Lin Tuan's notice. He smiled and continued, "Xiao Bian, feel free to speak your mind. Although we're in charge of this gala, we still need to fully respect the original creator's ideas. After all, the popularity of your video online is something our gala has achieved over the years combined. Although this gala has a strong sense of mission, we still hope that adding your program this year will bring about some changes."

What Lin Tuan said was true. Although the gala was treated as a task over the years, a lot of manpower, resources and effort were spent. But it was only broadcast on CCTV-7 and CCTV-3. The art troupe itself felt it was a pity.

We tried broadcasting it on online platforms before, but the theme and content of the show were just there, so it was destined that not many people would pay attention.

Since Lin Tuan had already said that, Bian Lang didn't hold back and asked directly, "Lin Tuan, this gala is probably pre-recorded, right? Will there be any symphony or similar programs?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Tong, who was afraid that Bian Lang would directly refuse, finally felt relieved.

"Yes, it's pre-recorded; the military band will be performing. Xiao Bian, do you mean you're adapting a symphony version?"

Bian Lang meant exactly that, after all, Lao Cui himself had played the symphonic rock version of "Rock on the New Long March," and it had also been covered by some orchestras from Earth and abroad.

"Yes. Besides, I personally feel that traditional choral singing and dancing might not be suitable. How about having a few soldiers march in formation on stage and shout some work chants..."

Before the words were even finished, Lin Tuan made the decision: "Alright, let's do it that way. I'll get the band leader here, and you can discuss the score..."

The band leader arrived and, after hearing the plan, eagerly said, "This is a great idea! Our band has never tried this before, and this will be a good opportunity for the musicians to try something new..."

This whole ordeal took up most of the day, and Bian Lang even had the good fortune to eat a meal at the cultural troupe's canteen. To be honest, the canteen chef's skills were truly excellent, and the meat and vegetables were incredibly delicious; Bian Lang's mouth was greasy from eating the braised pork.

……

Meanwhile, at the Magic Disc headquarters, Zhu Wen was filled with regret upon learning that Olaf had come to China to help record the album.

Although the collaboration with Goose Egg opened up a market for their band in China, their performance in Europe was nothing compared to that of the Rolling Stones.

"If we hadn't given away the overseas rights back then, wouldn't we be able to talk to Olaf now?"

However, he didn't completely give up. Opportunities for a world-class music producer like Olaf to work in China are rare, and even if there's no chance to collaborate, he still wants to establish this connection. After all, no matter how successful Goose Egg is in China, it's still being suppressed by Hoffman Records in Europe, not to mention that Hoffman has DGM, one of the world's top five record companies, backing it up.

With that in mind, he made a phone call to the investors behind him.

On his way back to the hostel, Bian Lang received a call from Chen Shuting, who said that Shengtian, one of the top three entertainment companies in China, had brought its popular artist Zhang Zhisu to talk to Olaf about a collaboration.

Zhang Zhisu, known as the "uncrowned king" among China's four top idols, follows a similar path to Wu Ya, developing his career in film, television, and music. It seems he's also planning a solo concert at the Workers' Stadium.

"What do they mean?" Bian Lang asked curiously.

"We wanted to ask Olaf to help produce his next album. Olaf is a real pro. When he heard about this, he just stayed in the recording studio and wouldn't come out. A bunch of us are waiting here at the hostel."

By learning about Olaf's free-spirited nature from Wang Wenhui, he was the kind of person who would do anything he liked, but would walk around even if there was a gold brick in front of him if he didn't like it.

"The news of Olaf's arrival has definitely spread. With a producer of his caliber coming to China, many record companies will surely want to collaborate with him. There will definitely be a lot of people contacting us recently. As long as it doesn't delay the recording of our album, other matters are none of our concern."

Bian Lang thought that was the end of it, but when he returned to the hostel, he realized that things were not as simple as he thought.

The already narrow Baihua Shenchu ​​Hutong was now completely surrounded by people who looked like fans and entertainment reporters.

Bian Lang struggled to squeeze to the hostel entrance, only to find that the hostel staff were guarding the door, refusing entry to anyone who wasn't a guest. Upon seeing Bian Lang, the staff opened a small barrier and let him in.

Seeing how skilled the staff were, Bian Lang didn't rush to leave. He stood at the door, offered a cigarette to one of the staff, and started chatting: "Is your idol inside?"

"Yeah, they booked the entire dining area, so we can't really interfere. I have to say, these fans are incredibly resourceful; their idol had barely arrived when the alley was blocked off. Luckily, you guys booked the accommodations, otherwise the boss would be cursing again..."

"Aren't the neighborhood committee aunties going to do something about this?"

"The Hundred Flowers Studio is right here. Quite a few idols come here to record songs, so this scene is nothing new. As long as they don't go too far, nobody cares."

Just as the two were talking, Chen Shuting, who was passing by, saw Bian Lang standing at the door and called out, "Bian Lang, come in, I need to talk to you."

After walking for a while until they reached the courtyard, Chen Shuting continued, "Sheng Tian wants to discuss cooperation with you. Brother Hu is inside responding. What do you mean by that?"

"What kind of cooperation?"

"Zhang Zhisu wants to invite Rolling Stones to be guests at his concert on August 2nd, and sing the rock version of 'On the New Long March'."

"I'm not going." Bian Lang refused without even thinking.

He knew perfectly well that people weren't interested in the band or the songs themselves; they just wanted to ride his current popularity. After all, having a million people watching a live stream on Bilibili simultaneously for six minutes was unprecedented, and even if it were to be repeated, it wouldn't be easy. Moreover, the live stream videos recorded on Bilibili were already getting tens of millions of views.

However, Zhang Zhisu's live singing and dancing performances involve lip-syncing, which contradicts the bottom line of rock performances where singers must sing live even if they are off-key or have broken their voices.