Grasshopper x Softhard 2012 (EP + DVD) DVD Region All

Of course, there will be music critics who dismiss the whole idea as a marketing ploy that has nothing to do with music. To some degree, they would be right – the concert kicks off with a 20-minute medley of classic 80s Canto-pop songs while the rest of the show is more about dazzling audiences with dizzying stage design and choreography than making really good music. At the same time, the project is also a tribute to the uniqueness of the Hong Kong pop music culture, particularly the concert experience. This can be seen from the way the groups defy tradition by asking for audience participation with their "Softhard fans versus Grasshopper fans" concept (traditional Hong Kong pop concert audiences are notoriously cold) to a nightly segment featuring an audience member from the back row of the venue.

The collaboration project's EP release is a natural extension of the concert's concepts. It features member collaborations similar to several set pieces in the show, and each of the song is named after popular Hong Kong concert phrases. Concert theme song "The First Row" (Track 1) is a rousing dance song that repeatedly asks the audience to "stand up and make a human wave", and show closer "Our Friends on the Top of the Hill" (Track 5) is a warm ballad about the friendship between the two groups. The only two songs to feature the two groups together, "The First Row" and "Top of the Hill" are easily the best songs on the EP.

Each of the three center tracks also has great things that makes them worth checking out. Remus Choy's "Do I Look Pretty Tonight" (Track 2) features a glamorous composition by Harris Ho (Denise Ho's older brother) that plays out like a hybrid of Japanese enka and jazz standard. Ho also gives a playful big band arrangement to complement A-Yue Chang's composition for "Have You Eaten" (Track 3), performed by Eric Kot and Edmond So. Lastly, Calvin Choy shares a sweet ode to fatherhood with Jan Lam in "Give Some Applause to Yourselves" (Track 4).

Music-wise, the Grasshopper and Softhard collaboration doesn't set a new standard in Canto-pop. However, it is an entertaining, well-produced EP with five great pop songs that will satisfy fans of both groups. Even though the concert's concept is about a competition between the two groups, the project is ultimately about one thing: pleasing the fans. With that intention in mind, the project is an unqualified success.