I followed from instagram to read your take on the concert and realized that each concert was, had to have been, vastly different. Online reviews and posts from Toronto outstripped the rest of the N. American tour and I am guessing that it’s because of the large Chinese support that came to cheer and celebrate him. I think, and I am sure that I’m wrong about some of this, that’s what I missed when I went to the Rosemont, Chicago-burb, concert. The show was excellent, his message was clear and the after-concert stage party was fire. And that was it. Maybe it’s because it was my first K-pop (is he still k-pop?) concert that I felt like something was missing. I had a great time and would go to another show I’m just not seeing the part that is culturally distinctive. As a AA female, I understand every part of the struggles he spoke about going through and the ongoing struggle to not let that dictate your life. I guess that I wanted to understand the culture he comes from, from his perspective/experience. Quite possibly there wasn’t time in the concert for this.
Reading your review on his concert has made me realize that I should probably watch some of the interviews he gave to get a better understanding of how these struggles brought him to this point between his upbringing and the desire he has for his future. Thank you.
Thanks for your comment! I am curious—what was the demographic like at the Rosemont show? I guess to give you a bit of context on my perspective, Toronto probably has one of the biggest Chinese diasporas outside of Hong Kong and mainland China. That probably places the emphasis on why the show felt “so Chinese.” It also helped that I could understand parts of the voice memos Jackson shared during his tribute to his parents, which further highlighted the depth of his message.
I have the mixed feelings about it becoming trendy too. There's something genuinely strange about watching something you carried quietly your whole life become a moment. The things that made you different growing up don't stop being the things that made you different just because the culture caught up. Jackson Wang being unapologetic about all of it — the complexity, the mess, the Chinese-ness — is probably why it lands so differently than the trend version of it.
Thanks for your note! I think many can learn a lot from the unapologetic nature of Jackson Wang. It’s pretty inspiring to see, especially as a fellow Chinese person
Exactly — and what makes it land differently than just general confidence is that it’s so specifically Chinese about it. He’s not assimilating the confidence into something more palatable. He’s bringing the Chinese-ness with him into all of it.
I followed from instagram to read your take on the concert and realized that each concert was, had to have been, vastly different. Online reviews and posts from Toronto outstripped the rest of the N. American tour and I am guessing that it’s because of the large Chinese support that came to cheer and celebrate him. I think, and I am sure that I’m wrong about some of this, that’s what I missed when I went to the Rosemont, Chicago-burb, concert. The show was excellent, his message was clear and the after-concert stage party was fire. And that was it. Maybe it’s because it was my first K-pop (is he still k-pop?) concert that I felt like something was missing. I had a great time and would go to another show I’m just not seeing the part that is culturally distinctive. As a AA female, I understand every part of the struggles he spoke about going through and the ongoing struggle to not let that dictate your life. I guess that I wanted to understand the culture he comes from, from his perspective/experience. Quite possibly there wasn’t time in the concert for this.
Reading your review on his concert has made me realize that I should probably watch some of the interviews he gave to get a better understanding of how these struggles brought him to this point between his upbringing and the desire he has for his future. Thank you.
Thanks for your comment! I am curious—what was the demographic like at the Rosemont show? I guess to give you a bit of context on my perspective, Toronto probably has one of the biggest Chinese diasporas outside of Hong Kong and mainland China. That probably places the emphasis on why the show felt “so Chinese.” It also helped that I could understand parts of the voice memos Jackson shared during his tribute to his parents, which further highlighted the depth of his message.
I don’t mean to sound self promotional but if you are interested, I chatted with Jackson for Grammy last July. He opens up a bit more about his life there — https://www.grammy.com/news/jackson-wang-magicman-2-new-album-interview
I have the mixed feelings about it becoming trendy too. There's something genuinely strange about watching something you carried quietly your whole life become a moment. The things that made you different growing up don't stop being the things that made you different just because the culture caught up. Jackson Wang being unapologetic about all of it — the complexity, the mess, the Chinese-ness — is probably why it lands so differently than the trend version of it.
Thanks for your note! I think many can learn a lot from the unapologetic nature of Jackson Wang. It’s pretty inspiring to see, especially as a fellow Chinese person
Exactly — and what makes it land differently than just general confidence is that it’s so specifically Chinese about it. He’s not assimilating the confidence into something more palatable. He’s bringing the Chinese-ness with him into all of it.
Nice profile! And thanks for the recs!