Recently celebrating his 64th birthday, Hong Kong star Andy Lau debuted his “Today… is the Day” online concert on a mainland social media platform on the 25th. Despite accumulating a total of 82 million views, the audience turnout decreased significantly by 70% compared to the 350 million views of his online concert in 2022, with the audience even referring to him as “Grandpa” in the live chat.
Following the success of his online concert “Sing to You” in September 2022, it has been three years since Andy Lau returned to perform an online solo concert.
Of particular interest, this online concert was not a live performance but a curated replay of the “Today… is the Day” tour stop in Hong Kong from 2024 to early 2025. The setlist from the first song “Today” to the last song “Truly Forever” remained unchanged, only weaving together recorded material from different angles of the concert venue, enhancing the visual experience by offering a closer look at expressions, costumes, and stage design details.
According to reports from mainland media, audiences initially thought they would be watching a live concert by Andy Lau on Douyin for free, only to discover that the concert was pre-recorded and played on the platform, with some internet celebrities joining him for a collaborative performance, creating an illusion of a live event. This sparked dissatisfaction and criticisms among netizens: “Why did they only promote Andy Lau’s online concert without clearly stating it was pre-recorded? Why create such a massive public opinion buzz?”
Andy Lau’s online debut of his tour not only set a record with 82 million online viewers but also attracted viewers ranging from those in their 60s to teenagers, leading to the use of “Grandpa” in the live chat. Looking back at this concert’s live performance, many fans praised Andy Lau as “handsome,” to which he replied, “Even if you are lying to me, I believe in my own handsomeness.”
Interestingly, this is not Andy Lau’s first online concert. On September 3, 2022, he held a concert themed “Sing to You” online. At that time, the viewership reached as high as 350 million, with “Andy Lau online concert” being a hot search topic. Due to the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic at that time and the incomplete recovery of offline performances, many singers opted for online concerts, but only Andy Lau achieved such remarkable success among Chinese and Hong Kong artists.
Although the 82 million viewers for Andy Lau’s online concert playback is a significant number, the sharp decline of more than 76% compared to the previous 350 million viewers indicates a challenging situation Andy Lau faced in terms of audience engagement and traffic. It’s clear that times have changed, and even Andy Lau is not immune to the shifting landscape of audience preferences and digital engagement.