Jade Solid Gold!

Two weeks ago Josie and Audiotraffic appeared on TVB's famous show ' Jade Solid Gold' (勁歌金曲), a weekly music show that features guest performers.

I was curious to check it out, since it was being held at TVB's studios out in Tsuen Kwan O, and it was a chance to see how they film one of these shows (they're not actually filmed 'live' they're really 'live to tape', a la US late night comedy shows...)

The experience was weird.  Elena and I met at the MTR station and got on a specially chartered bus meant to ferry fans to the studio (since its way far from anything).  We  saw a bunch of people standing in line next to a bus but didn't understand why no one was getting on, since the bus was only half full...  we eventually learned that the group waiting outside was a fan group for one of the guests on the show.   For whatever reason they didn't want to get on the bus that already had fans of the other performer on it (either they wanted to all come together in one bus or they didn't want to associate w/ fans of anyone else).   ok... whatever...

so we get on the bus and it drives to the studio.  they park the buses outside the studio but they don't let us out for like 10+ minutes.  eventually they lead us into the studio.  they have a fancy stage set up and a roped off area in front of the stage.  the area is divided up into sections,  all the fans of one of the other performers are rushing into her spot... I see two areas marked 'Audiotraffic' and 'Josie'  with only a few people there... (Audiotraffic doesn't have a big hardcore  fan club!?!?)  so Elena and I are pretty much in the front row.... then after a few seconds all these old ladies and men come rushing up and literally pushing their way in, they crowd their way to the front and push us completely off to the side (the problem was they were pushing this other young guy who was acquiescing to them... if they were pushing on me directly, I would have told them to stop or I'd have to give a smack down).

ok... so why are a bunch of senior citizens trying to get to the front of a pop music variety program anyway?  they really want to hear Adrian and Don wail on their guitars?  they enjoy the mad drums of Kevin Li? 

no... apparently this is a phenomenon in Hong Kong...  crazy retired people who religiously go to tapings of TV events trying to get free gifts, prizes and giveaways...   even programs they have no interest in, like a pop music variety show...

Things got even more funny...  When the show was about to start they closed off the rope around the fan areas and said 'you can't leave til the taping is done'.... then after the first commercial break came up, almost all of the old ladies from the front of the section started pushing their way out and the security guards let them sit in the stands in the back part of the studio.    The next commercial break Elena and I asked the guard if we could sit down too, but they said "no, they're old and they said their feet hurt, so we had to let them sit down, but you can't, you have to stay in the roped area!"

doh! :-(

the fan groups were pretty annoying, they would cheer like crazy for their respective performers  w/ their light up signs and whistles and group chants...  once or twice the program MC's had to tell them to be quiet cause it was interfering w/ the filming.

later on in the evening I went over to talk to Don and Adrian of audiotraffic,  and then a security guard came up to me (despite seeing that I was clearly having a normal, non-crazy fan conversation with them) and said 'you need to go back into the fans area!' 

and as soon as the taping was done, they pretty much herded everyone back onto the buses and out...

actually i can't really blame the security guards for being that heavyhanded... the key thing is to remember that they have to do this every week... meaning every week its another group of crazy fans acting like that.  not just them, but there's probably the over enthusiastic stalker guys who will run up and freak out some female  artists...    if I were them I'd err on the side of caution and be heavy handed too.

I did take one photo:

seconds after I snapped this they said 'hey, no photos!'... doh,  apparently in HK some 'no photos allowed' places like this actually exist. :-P

anyway,  the music was good,  it was fun.  next time i won't let the old ladies push me out of my spot.