A song called "The You of the Past" has prompted the entire internet to beg me not to leav

October 28th.

7:50 p.m., Bird's Nest Stadium.

One hundred thousand seats, not a single empty seat.

From above, the Bird's Nest was filled with blue light. 100,000 people waved glow sticks simultaneously, and the entire sea of ​​light rose and fell gently with the movements of the audience's arms.

There were no warm-up guests or hosts to stall for time.

Everyone is waiting for the same name.

Lin Yan.

There were only ten minutes left until 8 p.m.

The whispers in the audience gradually subsided, replaced by bursts of cheers.

Some people were patting the seats, others were holding up light boards and counting down continuously, and even the air felt stuffy from the heat.

The main stage is located in the center of the venue, and its overall design is a 30-meter-high heavy metal mechanical castle.

The cold steel structure is stacked layer upon layer, with a huge circular screen hanging at the top, like a silent, giant mechanical eye.

It was exactly 8 p.m.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, all the main light sources inside the Bird's Nest went out at the same time.

Darkness pressed down from the dome.

The 100,000 people who were just moments ago making a tsunami-like clamor suddenly fell silent in that instant.

There were no screams, no comments.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the steel behemoth in the darkness.

"Thump!"

A deep, muffled bass drum sound boomed from the speaker.

It was like someone swung a heavy hammer and smashed it into everyone's chest through the air.

Immediately afterwards, "Clang!"

A rough, fierce electric guitar distorted strum cleaved through the night sky above the Bird's Nest stadium.

No preheating is required.

No need for small talk.

In the center of the main stage, a circular lift suddenly burst out of the ground.

A blinding white spotlight slammed down, locking onto the figure on the stage.

Lin Yan.

He did not wear elaborate and fussy costumes, nor did he arrange a large troupe of dancers.

A worn-out black motorcycle leather jacket and ripped jeans.

A Fender electric guitar with a cold, gleaming finish was slung over his shoulder.

He stood on a 30-meter-high mechanical platform, looking down at the 100,000 people below.

In the control room, the decibel meter's pointer plunged into the red zone.

The sound engineer instinctively grabbed the fader.

The director stared at the monitor, his fingers crumpling the opening cue cards he had prepared.

The next second, screams soared into the sky.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"

The emotions that 100,000 people had been holding back all night exploded at this moment.

Lin Yan did not speak.

He simply looked at the audience, his left hand gripping the guitar fretboard, his right hand using the pick in a blur, cutting into the strings again and again.

The very first song was a full-on hit.

The legendary prelude "No Place to Hide" that shook the entire history of Chinese rock in its previous life.

The powerful guitar riffs, like a series of rapid gunshots, swept across the main stage, instantly covering every stand.

Lin Yan stepped onto the monitor speaker.

As soon as the staff pushed the microphone in front of him, he grabbed the microphone stand and pulled the microphone close to his mouth.

The next second, a tearing and rough sound burst out.

"In the sea of ​​people! There's you and me!"

"Meeting, getting to know each other, and learning from each other!!"

"In the sea of ​​people! It's you and it's me!"

"Pretend to be upright and smile!!"

The opening lines are four lines long.

The Bird's Nest is completely out of control.

In the VIP area at the front, Mr. Li and several other elderly members of the music association stood up at the same time.

Someone's water glass tilted to one side, spilling water onto their trouser leg, but he didn't even bother to look down at it.

Old Li stared intently at the stage, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"This is no ordinary improvisation..."

The person next to him didn't respond.

Because they didn't know how to describe it either.

In the stands, 100,000 people waved their arms frantically. Blue glow sticks formed a continuous line, rising and falling in unison with the singing.

Those audience members who were used to heavily edited vocals, fixed choreography, and layers of packaging finally understood at this moment that a real rock concert doesn't need to explain to anyone why it's so amazing.

Lin Yan looked up.

The neck of the guitar in his hand pointed straight to the sky, and the sound rose again.

"No need to say more! You know it yourself!!"

"What exactly do we want to do?!"

The circular LED screen behind him cuts out a close-up shot of him.

On the screen, those eyes were chillingly cold.

Gone was his usual laziness, and his usual nonchalance in front of the camera; all that remained was absolute control over the stage.

Drumbeats, guitars, screams, and the chorus of 100,000 people collided together.

Lin Yan, alone with just a zither, held the entire Bird's Nest in her place.

As soon as the song "No Place to Hide" finished, before the audience could even catch their breath, the lights changed again.

The cold white spotlight quickly faded away.

Deep red light strips lit up layer by layer from the bottom of the stage, turning the entire mechanical castle into a boiling red.

The staff quickly went on stage, removed the electric guitar strap, and handed the acoustic guitar to Lin Yan.

The entire piano-changing process took less than a few seconds.

The music didn't stop.

The rhythm didn't break either.

The next prelude then begins.

"The You of the Past".

The moment that melody, already etched into the memories of countless people, appeared, the audience erupted in cheers.

"I once dreamed of wandering the world with a sword! To see the splendor of the world—!"

A chorus of 100,000 people pressed onto the stage from all directions.

The sound was so loud that it even drowned out the on-site sound system.

Some people sang off-key, but still kept singing; others were so excited that they stood up from their seats, their glow sticks leaving afterimages.

Backstage, the head director, watching the sound field monitor, could only utter one sentence:

"This wave... can't be contained."

The staff members next to them didn't laugh.

Everyone knows that there's no need to press for more tonight.

The name of this concert is destined to be written into the record of live performances in the Chinese music scene.

Meanwhile, in the waiting area below the stage, Shen Qingqiu was standing in the darkness.

She was wearing that bright red, long, double-breasted dress that had caused a huge stir on the internet.

The lights hadn't yet shone on her, but her skirt was already swaying gently in the breeze of the passageway.

The makeup artist took a powder puff and applied the final touches to her makeup.

Shen Qingqiu clasped his hands together, his palms damp with a fine layer of sweat.

She runs a multi-billion dollar business empire, and has witnessed the clash of swords at the negotiating table as well as the applause when multi-billion dollar projects are launched.

But tonight is different.

Tonight is Lin Yan's show.

It is also a stage they created together.

"President Shen."

The director's voice came through my in-ear monitor.

The other person was clearly also excited, their voice several decibels higher than usual.

"The next chorus is about to begin; the countdown to the platform launch is in one minute."

Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes and slowly took a breath.

"Ready."

He spoke just four words, but his voice was very steady.

The makeup artist put away the powder puff and took a step back.

"Mr. Shen, there's nothing wrong with the hem of the skirt."

Shen Qingqiu glanced down at the hem of her bright red skirt, then looked up at the end of the passage.

A sliver of stage light shone through.

It's as red as fire.

Thirty meters above his head, Lin Yan was sweeping down the last chord.

The music ended.

He raised his right hand.

The spotlights in the room quickly shone away within two seconds, leaving only one beam of light on him.

One hundred thousand people are still calling his name.

Lin Yan did not stop.

He picked up his guitar, turned around, and walked towards the mechanical landing point in the center of the stage.

The steel plate beneath my feet emitted a low, rumbling vibration.

The countdown has begun in my earpiece.

"five."

"Four."

"three."

Shen Qingqiu gripped her skirt and stepped onto the other side of the rising platform.

"two."

Lin Yan stood in the center of the platform, looking down.

Thirty meters away, he couldn't see Shen Qingqiu's expression, but he seemed to already know what she was thinking.

"one."

The mechanical devices start simultaneously.

A tremendous roar came from below the stage.

Lin Yan took a step back.

The next second, Shen Qingqiu's elevator slowly broke through the darkness and rose towards the lights.