Fahrenheit's Fantasy World Tour

WE ARE more than just pretty boys. That's what popular Taiwanese boy band Fahrenheit is trying to prove with its first concert tour.

Comprising Calvin Chen, Jiro Wang, Wu Chun and Arron Yan, the band is well known for its boyish good looks and cheery pop tunes. But with its ongoing concert tour, which kickstarted in Hong Kong and will include a stop here in December, the guys hope to show fans that they can be multi-talented too.

For instance, they each learnt a new skill for the concert. Brunei-born Wu Chun, 29, tried to master drumming, while Calvin, 28, turned himself into a beat box. Jiro, 27, learnt to play both the lead and acoustic guitar, while Arron, 22, tickled the ivories. Together, they also underwent an intensive round of physical and vocal training, and learnt new dance sequences that were choreographed specially for the concert.

Never mind that three of the chaps were nursing injuries, leaving only one healthy Wu Chun, who joked that he was the 'Superman' in the group.

Still, some questioned whether it was too early for the band to do a concert tour, and whether the guys would be mere vases on stage.

When asked by the Taiwanese media, Arron said such comments would make him sulk at home first, then pour his soul into practising hard to prove the critics wrong. He joked: 'Maybe we should smash vases during the concert opening to symbolise that we're not (vases).' Wu Chun added: 'I don't care about this saying. What's important is that we're responsible for the performance and must practise seriously.'

Their hard work has paid off. Last month, Fahrenheit performed to two full-house crowds in Hong Kong. A total of 25,000 tickets were reportedly snapped up by fervent fans within days.

Stage show

On stage, the quartet wowed fans and media alike with their boundless energy and fanciful costume changes symbolising the concert's fantasy theme. Also, they drew gasps from the audience when they each began to swing a 1.2m-long sword during a dance segment. Then they challenged Jay Chou's hit song Nanchaku by giving the Bruce Lee weapon their own spin. The stunts were left to Wu 'Superman' Chun, who made a grand entry sliding down onto the stage on a wire. Just one blooper though: He got his left and right shoes mixed up in haste and had to run backstage to change them while his band mates bantered on stage.

But, it was just a small hiccup to a dream-come-true evening for the guys. Just before the closing, they said they had waited three years to stage a concert and thanked the audience for 'realising our dream together with us'.

FYI
WHAT: Fahrenheit's Fantasy World Tour
WHEN: 19 Dec, 8pm
WHERE: Singapore Indoor Stadium
TICKETS: $78 to $168 now available at Sistic. Call 6348 5555 or log on to www.sistic.com.sg.