TAIPEI - In what could be a silver lining for the return of concerts, Mandopop star Eric Chou has held the first post-pandemic, full-scale arena shows in Taiwan - drawing 33,000 attendees.
The shows, held at Taipei Arena on Aug 8 and 9, drew 11,000 and 22,000 concertgoers respectively.
Complete with a revolving stage and new outfits, the 25-year-old Taiwanese singer performed songs like That's All, Freedom and At Least I Remember. He released his fifth and latest album, When We Were Young, in January this year.
During the show, attended by celebrities like Taiwanese singers Ben Wu and Dino Lee, he was also joined for a guest performance by singer Ella Chen from girl group S.H.E.
The show also featured a video message from his duet partner on hit song Don't Force It, G.E.M, as well as an appearance by his pet Shiba Inu, Chopin.
Taiwan has been praised for its highly effective Covid-19 response, with 481 confirmed Covid-19 cases and seven deaths in a population of 23.7 million, according to a report by CNBC.
Safety measures observed at the concert approved by the Taiwanese authorities included mandatory masks for all attendees, access to hand sanitisers, and temperature checks, including refusing entry to ticket holders with a temperature of over 37.5 degrees.
Chou is set to perform two more arena shows on Sept 5 and 6 at the Kaohsiung Arena.
