Aiming for a new legacy

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Go big or go home. This is the attitude behind Legacy Taipei

(傳音樂展演空間), a new rock venue located at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), formerly known as Huashan Culture Park, (華山文化園區). The 1,000-person capacity “live house” opens tonight with Chinese rock legend Cui Jian (崔健).

Cui, who is making his second appearance in Taiwan, launches this month’s live music program, which features cream-of-the-crop local performers and several international acts.

Taking to the stage tomorrow are Hakka singer-songwriter Lin Sheng-xiang (林生祥) and Aboriginal chanteuse Panai (巴奈). And the list of hard-hitting performers this month goes on: Wu Bai (伍佰) and China Blue, Japan’s Boom Boom Satellites, Sugaki of the J-rock band Luna Sea and US indie-rock group Yo La Tengo.

“I hope this place can become a musical landmark in Taiwan,” said Legacy’s director Arthur Chen (陳彥豪), a veteran promoter who has booked major international rock artists for festivals like Ho-Hai-Yan and Simple Life.

Legacy is poised to rival storied venues like The Wall (這牆), Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) and its sister Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館), all of which have nurtured Taipei’s growing indie scene. Two established bands from that world, 1976 and Tizzy Bac, are scheduled to hold shows at the new venue over the next few months.

But Chen doesn’t see Legacy as a competitor to The Wall or Riverside, but as a partner in bringing live music culture to the mainstream.

“I feel we are working together because Taiwanese aren’t yet accustomed to [seeing live rock shows],” he said. “We don’t want people to feel that seeing a live music show is an underground thing. It should be something people do regularly, like going to CashBox KTV or going to a movie.”

Though the Huashan area has seen several rock venues come and go, none of them likely match the investment made by Legacy, also the name of the new business venture running the venue.

The company, which is

part-owned by pop star Harlem Yu (庾澄慶), is spending NT$15 million alone on a professional-grade sound system that Chen says is standard for international pop performers (unfortunately, the system won’t be fully in place for this weekend’s shows).

The venue, located in a former warehouse, will keep its original look but has been renovated to achieve quality acoustics, with an array of wood soundproofing panels suspending from the ceiling in this 225-ping (744m2) space. And audiences won’t sweat during the summer. According to Chen, the venue is equipped with a NT$2 million air conditioning system.

Perhaps in typical rock ’n’ roll fashion, the venue wasn’t quite ready when the Taipei Times visited at the beginning of the week. Workers were drilling and hammering away as they put the finishing touches on the platform stage, which stands over 1m high — tall enough to elevate any performer to rock idol height.

Be ready to pay a premium for international acts, with ticket prices topping NT$2,000 for Cui Jian’s show tonight. Tickets for J-rock star Sugizo, who performs Dec. 25 and Dec. 26, are NT$2,500. At least the drinks will be inexpensive — draft Taiwan beer runs NT$100 a glass. The venue plans to offer light snacks at all shows.

Legacy’s long-term goal is to present more mainstream pop acts on weekends. But it’s not just for the sake of business. Chen sees an opportunity to influence the Taiwanese pop scene in a way that “improves Taiwan’s overall music environment.” He says CD sales are declining but more people are attending concerts, which might encourage pop artists to focus more on live performances.