On stage.
The Cheetah Band's performance continued to improve.
The song was nearing its end.
The audience and judges alike wore expressions of rapt absorption.
It was as if they had become one with the lyrics, following the protagonist through that dreamlike, surreal world.
“Relax, said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave.”
After the final lyric was sung.
The lead singer, Lei Bao, picked up his guitar again, a faint smile gracing his lips.
An incredibly smooth guitar solo filled the air once more.
In reality, Lei Bao’s guitar skills weren’t top-tier; he could perform live without issues, but compared to guitar masters, there was still a significant gap.
However, today’s performance carried the flavor of a master.
The guitar sound was imbued with immense confidence, showcasing skillful technique and rich emotion.
He truly used music to tell a story and moved the audience with his performance.
This was precisely why the audience was so captivated.
“To play this song well, you must pour your entire being into it, enjoy the guitar in your hands, don't treat it as an instrument, it's your friend!”
Lei Bao’s mind recalled Ting Yu’s words as he taught him guitar, and he now revered Ting Yu like a deity.
In just half an hour of instruction, he had perfectly grasped every detail of the guitar playing for this song, something Lei Bao had never witnessed or heard of before.
Yet, Ting Yu had undeniably delivered; his playing today was flawless, with no discernible imperfections.
Lei Bao knew his own skill level.
Therefore, this situation was even more astonishing to him than if Ting Yu had played it himself.
…
As the last note faded.
The entire song concluded.
A brief two-second silence fell over the audience, followed by an eruption of thunderous applause and cheers.
“That was awesome, I never thought a guitar could produce such beautiful melodies!”
“The guitar solos in the intro and outro are simply divine in their arrangement!”
“The lyrics of this song are so eerie, they give off a literary vibe.”
“I noticed that too, Ting Yu’s lyrics often have deeper meanings, they’re not as simple as they appear on the surface!”
“Incredible! Going head-to-head with heavy metal rock with country rock, purely from an audio-visual perspective, this ‘Hotel California’ wins by a landslide!”
The Cheetah Band, with their distinctly different style, provided an unprecedented audio-visual experience.
Furthermore, performing after the JS Band made the contrast even more striking.
Just the intro alone was enough to pull the audience out of the previous song and immerse them in the dreamlike atmosphere created by ‘Hotel California.’
There was no comparison between the two songs.
“Thank you to the Cheetah Band for such a spectacular performance. Now, we invite our four esteemed judges to share their comments!”
“King of Rock” employed a judging panel and audience voting system.
The judges were crucial; generally, bands favored by all four judges were almost guaranteed to win.
“Both songs were excellent, and both were new compositions, with world-class producers. However, from a professional standpoint, the arrangement of ‘Hotel California’ was incredibly stunning, so I believe the Cheetah Band leads significantly in musical quality. Moreover, this song perfectly suits the Cheetah Band’s vocal timbre; Ting Yu is excellent at choosing singers.” The commenting judge was a producer with extensive experience.
His critiques always focused on the song itself, followed by an assessment of the song’s compatibility with the singers.
In combination, he leaned towards the Cheetah Band.
Upon hearing this judge’s comments.
The members of the Cheetah Band finally breathed a sigh of relief, their burden significantly lightened.
This wasn’t just about their own competition; it was a preliminary clash between Ting Yu and Sean before “King of Music Era.”
In their eyes, giving their utmost was the only way to do justice to Ting Yu’s song.
“Both bands have excellent vocal performances, but the Cheetah Band felt like they were breaking through their limits this time, especially Lei Bao’s guitar solo, which made me feel I wasn’t as good as him.”
The second judge was a veteran American rock singer, possessing keen insight into vocals and instrumentation. He offered his comments from that perspective.
After this judge’s remarks.
The Cheetah Band members’ faces lit up with smiles.
The JS Band’s expressions grew increasingly somber.
Two out of four judges now favored the Cheetah Band…
“Haha, it seems you all lean towards the Cheetah Band. In truth, so do I. As a music critic, I enjoy studying classic rock songs from the past. ‘Hotel California’ evokes a feeling of returning to the glorious days of rock music’s inception.” The third judge was a highly authoritative music critic from America.
“I also choose the Cheetah Band because the lyrics of ‘Hotel California’ deeply fascinated me. In my opinion, this song transcends the realm of lyrics; I prefer to call it art. After the program concludes, I will host a live stream to discuss the song’s lyrics with everyone.”
The final judge adjusted his glasses and spoke in a refined manner.
When all four judges supported the Cheetah Band, the live audience was stunned.
“What the heck?”
“While these esteemed figures are supporting the Cheetah Band, they are all praising the song itself…”
“To sum it up, Ting Yu is amazing.”
“Suddenly, I recall that popular saying in China: Sing Ting Yu’s songs, even a dog can win.”
“This is a carry by the producer!”
“That shouldn’t be the case; Sean is also a world-class producer.”
“I study music and can explain this to you. Sean’s song is quite good, but that’s his baseline level. However, Ting Yu’s song is more like a meticulously crafted masterpiece by him.”
The audience had also noticed.
Although the judges had all chosen the Cheetah Band this time, their comments felt more like they were selecting the song itself.
Furthermore, many audience members realized that with Ting Yu and Sean’s involvement, “King of Rock” had transformed from a competition between rock bands into a contest between two producers.
A collision between two world-class producers just before “King of Music Era.”
And by the looks of it, Ting Yu had won.
For a moment, the audience members who had been certain Ting Yu would lose began to waver.
“Please, audience, cast your votes!” the host continued with the next segment.
With the judges leading the way.
The audience’s voting trend was very clear.
Industry giants had chosen the Cheetah Band, so they had no reason to choose otherwise.
Moreover, the song ‘Hotel California’ was indeed magnificent.
Aside from the die-hard fans of the JS Band, all other casual audience members cast their votes for the Cheetah Band.
The Cheetah Band’s vote count soared, at a speed several times faster than the JS Band’s!
The final vote count was tallied!
Cheetah Band: 890,000 votes!
JS Band: 230,000 votes!
This all-Chinese rock band, on the stage of the rock newcomers, relied on a single song from Ting Yu to mercilessly crush the JS Band!
…