Anthony Wong 2011 Live (2DVD+2CD) (Special Version) DVD Region All

There is no shortage of Joseph Koo theme songs to cover, and Anthony Wong offers a satisfying lineup of all-time favorites and hidden gems. The show opens with a "123 Shanghai Bund" medley (from his 2004 album) that focuses on the hooks we know and love, but livened up with synthesizer and fusion arrangements. This characterizes the musical approach for much of the rundown: music director Keith Leung (Gaybird) applies the eclectic, electronic, and jazzy arrangements the People Mountain People Sea team is known for, but keeps the programming and instruments as a lively, dreamy, and sometimes chaotic backdrop to the classic compositions. Arrangement and production-wise, everything is competent but nothing is particularly outstanding, which is slightly disappointing as Leung and PMPS should be capable of more. Then again, the can't-go-wrong combination of Anthony Wong's voice and Koo's songs more than carries the show as is.

Those who love eighties TVB dramas and themes will love the selection. The God of Sabre theme "Spring Rain Crescent Sabre" (originally sung by Jenny Yan) picks up a buoyant step with dramatic piano and pulsing synthesizer, while The Lonely Hunter theme (originally by Susanna Kwan) is wonderfully gentle, with xylophone, erhu, flute, drums, cello, guitar, and more circling in the background. Legend of Master Soh theme "Forget Your Love" also has a great setup in its saxophone and enigmatic beats, but the execution is rather messy.

There are also more straightforward renditions, like "Tender Like Water" (from The Possessed) and "Song of Chu" (from The Battlefield), which show that traditional Chinese instrumentals are still the most effectively atmospheric for period themes. Wong's moving interpretation of Jenny Yan's "Struggle", accompanied by orchestral strings and Ellen Loo's acoustic guitar, is another great no-frills performance. (Ellen is on guitar for the whole show.)

Some welcomely unexpected songs pop up, like the Way of the Dragon's English theme song with great percussion and synthesizer and Koo's first song "Dream", released in 1962 by his sister Carrie Koo. The former is a fun surprise, because it's simply not sung often. It's also not a particularly good song by Koo standards, but nothing beats the nostalgia. I deem "Dream" unexpected because I didn't realize that the sixties Mandarin classic was a Joseph Koo work. It's truly impressive how far back Joseph Koo's legacy goes.

Another milestone that Koo played a great role in was Rebecca Pan's 1972 musical Pai Niang Niang, Hong Kong's first Chinese-language musical. Wong sings two Shanghai lounge-style songs from that production - "Loving You Turns into Hurting You" and "Who Can Stop My Love" - while Rebecca Pan listens on in the audience. For a nice little touch, a microphone distortion effect is applied to "Loving You Turns Into Hurting You" to create an analog sound live.

The tributes that Hong Kong pop fans take closest to heart though are probably Wong's performances of songs by late legends Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, and Roman Tam. To highlight the homage, the concert recording actually turns black and white during Wong's covers of Mui's "Debts of the Heart", Tam's "Carmen" and "Family Love", and Cheung's A Better Tomorrow theme "Love in Those Years". Naturally Tsai Qin's "Tomorrow's Song" also makes an appearance, as does Wong's own 2004 song "Jade Theater", which was composed by Koo and features lyrics by Lin Xi paying tribute to the era of Koo's TV dramas.

Wong's 2011 concert and 2004 album are named Tomorrow's Song, but "Yesterday's Song" is a more appropriate reflection of what they represent, fondness and nostalgia for the golden age of Hong Kong music and entertainment. Too much love for yesterday's songs is not necessarily a good thing for Hong Kong music tomorrow, considering how much the industry has paled in comparison to previous decades. But Anthony Wong is actually the rare veteran who doesn't dwell in yesterday's music or today's trends, and continues to do new things with each release. Even for a concert of nostalgia, he brings more than tributes and fan service but also rearrangements and rediscoveries.