對於伍佰歌迷來說，China Blue 樂團既熟悉又有一些距離，因為他們的訪談並不多，伍佰作為主音歌手常常單槍匹馬接受多數的電台電視台訪問，而其他三位團員一直都是戴著墨鏡扮演著永遠酷炫的樂手。
對China Blue 樂團的印象，就我個人來說，就是覺得他們演出水準一直非常穩定，尤其是鍵盤手大貓和貝斯手小朱。我們這些有福的樂迷，可能真的是被大貓寵壞了，在疫情以前的世界裡每當我在外面看到樂團有鍵盤手，我聽過之後通常都會在心裡想著「這個鍵盤音色的設定搭配其他樂器好像怪怪地」的感覺。然後回到家裡就會重溫伍佰演唱會，大貓老師優遊自在的鍵盤彈奏如行雲流水，那個暢快感是其他鍵盤手很難模仿的技巧。
團長小朱老師的貝斯非常穩健，我印象中的伍佰大型演唱會中，他和大貓看起來很少彈錯，不小心高了或低了半個音階我是無法確定，畢竟我不是一聽音樂就會馬上抓歌的人。身為臺灣音樂文化國際交流協會理事長，他非常照顧後輩樂手，是大家眼中的樂手長輩，真的很敬佩他的熱心與努力。
鼓手Dino打鼓像波浪，可能有些人不大喜歡，但我覺得需要他穩定表現的時候他還是蠻可靠的。最喜歡的還是他有時候客串唱幾句台語歌的時候真的很讓人驚豔，常常逗得歌迷樂開懷。
看著他們表演這麼多年，我有時候也會幻想自己若是樂手會是什麼樣子。當然，那是一個認為收藏樂器、照顧樂器很麻煩的人不會走上的一條路。不知怎麼的，人愈長大，愈是覺得一個人從事什麼行業其實似乎冥冥中有注定。而這幾位樂手大概就是很年輕的時候就注定走上一直開演唱會的職業生涯。
套句小朱老師的話：「我們就是要做演唱會。」這股非常鎮定的自信，數十年走來始終如一，從陳昇九十年代剛開始在臺北世貿開辦跨年演唱會一直到2021年八﹑九月的台北小巨蛋和高雄巨蛋的演唱會，這幾位國際水準的樂手其實從來都沒有停過。
在疫情以前的世界，光是看Wubai.com網站上的演唱會列表就已經相當驚人了，除了台海兩岸、星馬地區，他們有時候還到美國演出，連菲律賓雲頂也去表演過。那些演出是售票演唱會，還不包括伍佰and China Blue 承接的臺灣大小企業的尾牙或其他商演。若以樂手為職業，我認為像他們這般生意興隆，這才有動力繼續彈奏唱歌一直到老。
有足夠多人願意付錢看他們演出，他們就有足夠資源買樂器、經營練團與錄音室，而且還要讓唱片公司的同事一直都有工作，其實真的非常不簡單的生意模式。現在疫情之下演出少很多了，雖然臺灣在2020年還是可以演出。表演這一門生意要如何盼到一個春天，確實是一道難題。但我始終相信，實力派如China Blue，再唱個十年二十年都沒有問題，因為要取代他們的音色、老練與穩重，實在非常不容易。
伍佰and China Blue不斷奮鬥，2017年成軍25年還辦了一場最精彩的《透南風演唱會》。這種奮鬥精神才符合我一直都是處於打逆境球的狀態。謝謝伍佰and China Blue，容我常常借火繼續延燒奮鬥精神。
For Wubai fans including me, China Blue is a familiar band but we somehow feel there is a distance with them. Probably this is because they don’t have many interviews. Wubai as the vocalist of the band is usually attending TV and radio interviews alone, while his three band members are the musicians with a cool appearance wearing sunglasses.
As far as I am concerned, I find China Blue to be a band of steady performance. In particular, keyboardist Big Cat and bassist Xiao Zhu are the most stable performers of the band. For fans as lucky as us, we are pampered by Big Cat’s outstanding performance.
In the world before the pandemic, I sometimes saw keyboardists performing in some occasions and thought to myself: the keyboard’s pairing with these instruments seems to be a strange combination.
Returning home after I heard mediocre keyboard play, I would enjoy Wubai and China Blue’s concerts again. Big Cat plays keyboard as smooth as water flowing and cloud floating and it is always an enjoyment to listen to his play. Such a pleasant play is a skill that could not be easily imitated by other musicians.
Band leader Xiao Zhu’s bassline is also very stable. Recalling major concerts of Wubai and China Blue, it seems like Big Cat and him seldom made mistakes. Of course, I couldn’t tell if they played a note half a key lower or higher, for I am not a person who is able to listen a song and identify the chords by ear immediately.
As the chairperson of Taiwan Music Society (transliterated), he cares for younger musicians a lot and he is the senior of many musicians in Taiwan. I really respect his hard work and passion for Taiwanese music scene.
Drummer Dino plays drum like waves–a style probably not favoured by some listeners. But I still find him to be quite reliable when the situation requires his great input. The most surprising part is surely his Taiwanese singing that often lures fans’ heart.
Following their live shows for so many years, I occasionally imagine what would I look like if I were to become a musician. Needless to say, for a person who finds collecting and caring for instruments to be very troublesome, that is always someone else’s career path. As I am getting older, it appears to me that one’s career choice is somehow predestined. And for China Blue, they were already on the pathway since young to become professional musicians playing for one gig after another.
“We only want to play in concerts,” Xiao Zhu puts it. The vision and confidence is firm throughout the decades. Bobby Chen’s new year countdown concerts at Taipei World Trade Center in mid 1990s were among their earlier debuts. And their more recent ones include August and September 2021 concerts in Taipei Arena and Kaohsiung Arena respectively. These musicians of international standard do not stop performing.
In the world before the pandemic, one would be astonished by their tight schedule listed on Wubai.com. Their gigs cover both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Malaysia and Singapore, and the United States. And they even went to Resorts World Manila. Those were concerts whose tickets sold to the public. Unlisted on the website were commercial and smaller gigs paid by Taiwanese corporations to invite Wubai and China Blue to perform during annual dinners.
If one is to make music performance their career choice, they would have to make sure they have many paid gigs as China Blue do. A busy schedule is what motivates musicians to play and sing until old age.
When sufficient number of followers are willing to pay to see them perform, they would have resources to buy instruments, run their band room and studio, as well as to maintain the jobs of their colleagues in the label. This business model is never easy. Gigs are rare when the world is hit by the pandemic, although Taiwan was still able to hold concerts in 2020. When showbiz would welcome another spring is the million-dollar question. For a band as skillful as China Blue, I think they can still play for another ten to twenty years, for it is very challenging to replace their tune and voice, matured and steady performance.
Wubai and China Blue are always striving to renew themselves. During the 25th anniversary concert in 2017 they had the best concert known as South Wind Concert.
The spirit to keep on fighting is what I need for my always-turning-the-tide struggle in life. Many thanks to Wubai and China Blue, I would keep on borrowing your rocker spirit to keep my fighting spirit alive.