Hins Cheung “The Prime Classics”: Unforgettable First Solo Concert in Toronto

WRITTEN BY Yas Lai, Edited and Translated by Fête Chinoise editorial team
Images By Jim Yu

A dedicated fan of Hins Cheung recently attended “The Prime Classics” North America concert tour in Toronto, marking the distinguished Hong Kong male singer’s first solo concert in the city. In this article, we delve into the highlights of Hins Cheung's Toronto concert, his heartfelt performances, and the unwavering support from his fans, capturing the essence of a truly memorable night.

二零二四年八月三日是張敬軒首次在多倫多舉辦個人演唱會的日子，也是他出道二十三周年的紀念日。這場演唱會是一連四場北美演唱會的最後一站，在尼亞加拉瀑布的OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino舉行。

不知道軒仔還記不記得，他在二零零九年曾到訪多倫多，跟說唱組合農夫在Rogers Centre合辦了⼀場新春「演唱會」。 那是我第⼀次聽軒仔的現場演唱，⾄今仍印象深刻。轉眼已過⼗五年，多倫多的粉絲們終於盼到軒仔再次踏⾜多倫多演出。 

August 3, 2024, was a historic date as Hins Cheung held his solo concert in Toronto for the very first time, coinciding with his 23rd debut anniversary. Held at the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino, the concert was the final stop of his North American tour.

Hins Cheung may not remember, but he did perform in a Lunar New Year “concert” with the Hong Kong hip hop duo FAMA in Toronto in 2009. That was my first time hearing Hins perform, and it’s still vivid in my mind. Time flies, and 15 years have passed; Toronto fans are finally welcoming him to perform in Toronto again.

其實⼗五年前的演出只能算是商演，跟剛過去的 “The Prime Classics” 演唱會不能相提並論。感謝張敬軒和團隊的⽤⼼和認真，讓多倫多樂迷欣賞到最接近「⾹港⽔準」的演唱會。從燈光、佈景、妝髮和服裝，到樂隊、舞者和選曲，還有大螢幕投影，都是「張敬軒式」的⼀絲不苟。

獨愛中場播放軒仔朗讀張愛玲散⽂《異鄉記》第⼆章節錄，聲線温柔淡然，完美配合螢幕上他本⼈别具⾵格的書法。散⽂是⽤普通話朗讀，⽽他⼿寫的是繁體字，融合起來複雜卻和諧。猜想軒仔想表達的，是他對⾃⼰從廣州出⽣，然後在⾹港成名定居所產⽣的思索和感受。 

The performance 15 years ago was a commercial performance and is not comparable to “The Prime Classics” concert that just concluded. Thanks to Hins Cheung and his team for preparing the concert, Toronto fans were able to enjoy a show that met “Hong Kong standards.” From lighting, set, makeup, and hair to costumes, and from the band and dancers to song selection and the projection on the big screen, I could see the meticulousness that is well-known for Hins.

I especially loved the section where Hins read aloud an excerpt from Eileen Chang’s "Strange Country," blending his soft and gentle voice with his unique handwriting on the screen. The essay was read aloud in Mandarin, but his writing was in traditional Chinese, which looked complex but harmonious. I guess what Hins wanted to express was his reflection on his journey of being born in Guangzhou, pursuing his career, and rising to fame in Hong Kong.

演唱會期間，軒仔問觀眾當中說廣東話的有多少⼈、說普通話的⼜有多少⼈，其實不論是⾹港⼈、廣州⼈、北京⼈還是其他祖籍，喜歡聽廣東歌的⼈都喜歡張敬軒，所以我對這次 “The Prime Classics” 演唱會多倫多站的⾨票，在開售後⼋分鐘內迅速售罄是毫不意外。軒仔說他知道北美售票平台沒有限制⾨票轉售價格，導致不少歌迷需要⾼價購買「⻩⽜⾶」⼊場，對此軒仔感到⼼痛，希望歌迷量⼒⽽為。

During the concert, Hins asked how many in the audience spoke Cantonese and Mandarin, respectively. No matter where people originated from, Cantopop fans mostly love Hins Cheung. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the tickets quickly sold out within eight minutes of going on sale. Hins also shared that he knew, as the North American ticket platform does not have a limit on the price of resale tickets, many fans had to buy the tickets at a very high price, which was disheartening to hear.

觀眾席上除了有來⾃四⾯⼋⽅的羅賓（軒仔粉絲的暱稱），當中還有⾹港著名⼥歌⼿兼歌唱導師曾路得⼥⼠。軒仔誠⼼點名感謝她的到來，並謂因曾前輩在場⽽感到緊張，像學⽣要「交功課」給⽼師檢查。 軒仔⼀向待⼈真誠，除了疼錫粉絲之外，他對台前幕後的⼯作⼈員都是將⼼⽐⼰。 他介紹樂隊和舞者成員時，不只單單介紹名字，還會簡短說出每位過⼈之處或是和⾃⼰的淵源。 

Apart from his fans coming from different places, the famous Hong Kong singer and singing instructor Ruth Chen was also part of the audience. Hins specifically acknowledged her support and humorously said that he felt nervous with the senior present, feeling like a student handing in his homework for the teacher’s review.

Hins is always sincere, kind, and treats all the crew nicely. When he introduced the band and the dancers, he went beyond just introducing their names; he also highlighted their strengths and how he met and worked with each of them.

作為忠粉，對是次 ”The Prime Classics” 的歌單⼗分滿意。軒仔在多倫多站狀態⼤勇，氣場強⼤。儘管⼀些經典歌曲已表演過百次、過萬次，每次演繹時他還是會全情投⼊，真情流露。三⼩時⼀共⼆⼗⼆⾸曲⽬當中，有九⾸是他⾃⼰作曲的作品：<Hurt So Bad>、 <壯舉>、 <笑忘書>、<期待>、 <My Way>、<斷點> 、<只是太愛你>、 <⻘春告别式>和<隱形遊樂場>。 除此之外，軒仔為多倫多樂迷獻上兩⾸特意挑選的歌曲作為禮物，⾸先是陳慧嫻的<夜機>， ⼆是Encore部分最後唱出的⼀⾸，蔡齡齡的<細⽔⻑流> 。軒仔說今次乘⾶機來多倫多時，不知為何⼼中反覆響起<細⽔⻑流>的旋律，並稱感覺此歌和尼亞加拉⼤瀑布延綿不絕的⽔流意景合襯。軒仔唱到歌中最後⼀句歌詞，「你那暗湧 如在叫喚我 喚我⼊內 怎可不奔向你」時，舉⼿指向席上觀眾，回應多倫多樂迷的熱情，相信他亦感應到我們⼀直以來内⼼對他的強烈呼喚。 

As a dedicated fan, the song list of “The Prime Classics” was very satisfying. Hins looked great on the night of the Toronto concert. Although he has performed his classic and popular songs hundreds and thousands of times, he still gives it his all when performing them, filled with emotions.

Among the three-hour song list, which comprised twenty-two songs, there are nine works composed by himself, including Hurt So Bad, Impressive Feat, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, 期待, My Way, Broken Spot, Love You Too Much, The Last Mad Surge of Youth, and Imaginary Fairground. In addition, Hins selected two songs for Toronto fans: Priscilla Chan’s Night Flight and Aling Choi Ling Ling’s 細水長流, which he performed at the very end of the encore section.

Hins shared that he kept remembering the melody of 細水長流 when he was on the flight to Toronto and related the song to the flowing water of Niagara Falls. When he was singing the last sentence of the song, he raised his hand, referring to the audience and responding to the passionate Toronto fans. I believe he could feel our strong desire to see him perform in Toronto all these years.

最後，希望藉此⽂章代⼋⽉三日演唱會的觀眾向軒仔誠意道歉。當晚軒仔認真分享⾃⼰曾經飽受抑鬱和躁鬱症煎熬的過去時，卻遭數位觀眾無禮回應⽽打斷。這兩天社交媒體上不乏網⺠對此指罵，事件甚⾄發酵⾄登上新聞電⼦報章。當中細節不再詳細描述，但作為以謙卑禮讓態度聞名的加拿⼤國⺠，對這次張敬軒先⽣在本地感到不被尊重⽽深感抱歉。五千多⼈的場地全場滿座，當中必然包含各式各樣的觀眾，但深信為數最多的， 還是⼀群對軒仔到臨多倫多⼼存感激的忠實粉絲。我們感恩軒仔和團隊的努⼒爭取，為是次演唱會付出時間和⼼⾎。我們會繼續努⼒⼯作、⽣活，期待不久將來再次歡迎軒仔到來。

Lastly, I hope to apologise to Hins on behalf of the audience at the concert. When Hins was sharing his past suffering from depression and bipolar disorder, a few audience members impolitely interrupted him. There were some discussions on social media, and it was even reported by various media. As a Canadian, knowing Canadians are known for their humility and courtesy, I’m very sorry for Hins feeling disrespected in Canada. While there must be different kinds of audiences among the full-house venue, which seated over five thousand people, I believe the majority are still Hins’ dedicated fans who feel grateful for him coming to Toronto. We’re also thankful for Hins and his team’s efforts and time for this concert. We’ll continue to work hard, live hard, and look forward to meeting Hins in Canada again in the near future.

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