It’s summer again, with the sun shining brightly.
Vancouver’s summer is always mild and comfortable. On a wonderful
summer day, perfect for napping, my eyes began to drift closed. Everything was
blurry and suddenly I saw a tunnel in front of me — I started walking into it
slowly, as if being hypnotized.
Where am I? Is that the theme song from the IYY 85
Youth Festival?
Isn’t this the Hong Kong Coliseum?
And—are those the stars from back in the day?!
Wow! Many Icons of the 1980s!
·Music legends Alan Tam, Leslie
Cheung, Anita Mui
·TVB’s “Five Tigers”: Tony Leung, Andy
Lau
·Two of the future “Four Heavenly Kings”: Jacky
Cheung, Andy Lau
·1985’s newly crowned Miss Hong Kong: Charlene
Tse Ning
·1984 New Talent Singing Champion: a very
youthful Dicky Cheung
·The rarely seen Michael Kwan
·Chow Yun-fat, before he left TVB
·The incredibly beautiful Yammie Lam
·The charming “gweilo” Keith Kwan
Chiu-chung
·Mak Lei Hong , wife of actor Jackie Lui
Chung Yin
And so many more iconic singers and new stars of the 1980s…
It was dazzling, but full of energy and youth!
Suddenly, the scene outside the Coliseum went quiet again.
On the ground, I vaguely saw a ticket…
A Leslie Cheung concert ticket?!
Venue: Hong Kong Coliseum, Hung Hom
Date: August 4, 1985
Wait... isn’t this 2025? That ticket is 40 years old. Is it still valid?
The Coliseum only opened in 1983, so in 1985, it was still
quite new. As dusk approached, I clutched the ticket and walked in. The
security guard was friendly and let me sit closer to the front. The audience
next to me said she’d been eating instant noodles just to afford the most
expensive ticket. Turns out, mine was worth HKD $180—the priciest
tier! No wonder I got a front-row seat.
Here he comes!
It’s really Leslie Cheung, rising slowly onto the stage—giving
his first-ever solo concert. He wore a blue suit jacket and white shirt,
looking fresh and elegant.
He started with the song “The First Time” then
followed by another song that I love: "Silently Swimming
Upstream", composed by the most famous Hong Kong composer Joseph
Koo with lyrics by James Wong.
"Work with heart, work with effort, strive to become
a true singer…"
And he did it—this was his first solo concert at the grand Coliseum!
Next came the romantic "Obsession",
composed by Michael Lai with lyrics again by James Wong.
Leslie’s charming eyes, intoxicated expression, and gentle voice enchanted the
crowd.
Then came "I’m
Willing":
Like sleeping cradled in
clouds As if lost in a
cloud-like dream With you, everything’s beautiful Even our breaths feel poetic.
It sounded like a beautiful poetry.
Time for some upbeat tracks—he performed two Japanese cover
hits: "Monica" and "Wild Wind" —
both huge at the time.
He even stepped down to shake hands with fans—people swarmed in front of me
with excitement!
Next was the theme song for The Duke of Mount Deer,
starring Tony Leung and Andy Lau. It started with powerful music, leading into
the light-hearted "Luck Will Come Eventually".
After the cheerful vibe, it was time for more romance.
Leslie changed into an orange shirt and white suit jacket to sing the sweet
ballad "Tenderness and Affection":
Please listen to me
Please tell me your history tonight
Please whisper to me
Please show me your history tonight
Then the mood shifted again as he performed the edgy dance
track "Love Cross", showing off his wild side.
Finally… my favorite song: "A Moment", with its beautiful, moving melody—it completely
drew me in. So romantic and familiar, because the English version is none other
than "Casablanca."
He followed with another classic love song, "I
Am Sentimental by Nature", with composer Michael Lai at the
piano. It felt like every female fan imagined herself as Mo Siu-Nung, Leslie’s
lover in the drama Once Upon an Ordinary Girl.
Leslie joked, "The love song is written by this chubby
guy!"—referring to Michael Lai, his mentor.
Of course, they sang a duet: the melancholic "Blue Mood",
which Leslie performed running and singing—absolutely giving his all.
And then—let’s get wet?!
Because the next song was "H2O". My
Form 1 Chemistry teacher taught us H2O = water, Leslie’s song… ever
since, Leslie’s H2O is what stuck in my mind.
Midway through, he changed into a yellow outfit—still just
as handsome and stylish.
Concerts often feature guest stars, and this one brought out
another icon: Anita Mui. She sang "Love is Over",
followed by a duet with Leslie—"Fate".
Such feelings are worth remembering…
Alan Tam had his "Romance on a Rainy
Night", and Leslie had his "Romance in the Rain".
Both were adapted from Japanese songs but had different styles. Leslie wore a
trench coat as he sang a playful "Rhythm of the Rain".
After that, the performers took off their raincoats. The
female dancers were so sexy—most likely they were from Miss Aerobic Beauty
Pageantat TVB in 1985.
Next, we returned to heartfelt ballads. Dressed in a white
shirt, white pants, and a unique vest, Leslie sang "My Devoted
Self" and "For You Only".
Of course, he didn’t forget the iconic "The Wind Blows On".
Before I had enough of his charming gentleman look, he
changed again—this time into a refreshing summer shirt to sing "A
Young Girl’s Heart". And yes, there were plenty of teenage female fans
at the concert!
Then came "Not Afraid of Loneliness"—with
over 10,000 people in the Coliseum at night, hardly to feel lonely.
Another outfit change? Why not—it suited the summer vibe!
Every outfit looked great.
Every song was amazing. Truly one of the very best concerts ever held in Hong Kong!
Then came "Because of You", and I
suddenly felt this strong urge to hold onto this moment.
Leslie said: "Tomorrow morning, when you wake up all groggy… think of me."
Preserve yesterday, deep in my heart
Never letting go, carrying it into the future
For one day, when I’m lonely again
I can relive this love
Wait… was that music coming from a radio?
Am I in my bedroom?
Turns out—it was all a dream.
Life is like a dream.
Beautiful memories slip through our fingers.
