Hong Kong actor and singer Louis Koo became visibly emotional backstage after his two-night concert run at the Hong Kong Coliseum concluded on Sunday, explaining that he chose a poignant final song as a tribute to the late Leslie Cheung—and as a possible farewell to his own performing career.
Koo, 54, made his long-awaited solo debut at the iconic venue on March 22 and 23, a milestone for an artist better known for film roles than live performances. At the post-show celebration, he admitted feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, choking up as he discussed his decision to close with “Wind Will Rise Again” (《風再起時》). The song holds deep significance: it was the same track Cheung sang when he announced his temporary retirement from the music industry in 1989.
“Leslie Cheung has always held a very important place in my heart,” Koo told reporters. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have a chance to hold a second concert, so this might be my goodbye for now. I wanted to pay tribute to him.”
‘I Just Wanted Everyone to Have Fun’
Despite the emotional weight, Koo said he entered the concert without pre-show jitters—only a determination to give the audience an unforgettable experience.
“I wasn’t nervous at all before I went onstage,” he explained. “I just really wanted to do these two shows well. Maybe it wasn’t perfect, maybe there were mistakes. But I gave it everything. The most important thing for me was making the audience happy.”
Koo noted that this was the first time he had experienced a full concert from start to finish as the lead performer. Having appeared mostly as a guest artist in the past, he said he thoroughly enjoyed the rehearsal and performance process. When asked whether he had developed a taste for dancing, he laughed. “No, I won’t get addicted to dancing. Whether I dance or not depends entirely on how I feel.”
Still, he worked closely with his choreographer—not to perfect technique, but to craft moments of genuine interaction. “My main requirement for this concert was to connect with every single person in the audience—shaking hands, getting close to fans in the highest seats. I believe a concert should be about that closeness, not just a distant performance from the stage. Since I don’t know if there will be a next time, I tried to create the best, happiest show with the most contact possible.”
Star-Studded Guests and Nostalgic Moments
The second night was the more demanding, Koo said, with special guests Grasshopper and Andy Lau joining him onstage, plus a sustained 30-minute singing-and-dancing sequence to close the show. He expressed particular gratitude to Lau for his ongoing encouragement over the years.
Another guest, veteran singer-actress Liza Wang, wore black stockings during her appearance—a deliberate callback to a stage collaboration 32 years ago, when Koo, just starting in show business, served as her backup dancer for the song “Hot Coffee.”
“She is so thoughtful,” Koo said of Wang. “From rehearsals onward, she was completely professional, asking about every detail. On the first night, she arrived early and spent half an hour chatting with me and my mother. She’s my mother’s idol. It was wonderful to bring back that memory during my first-ever solo concert.”
Exhaustion, Redemption, and What’s Next
Reflecting on his Red Coliseum dream, Koo described the venue as uniquely intimate. “Red Hall makes you feel very close to the audience. We all need to listen to each other more. That’s also the philosophy behind my company—act fast, listen to what people need, and make it happen.”
Asked whether he had monitored social media reactions after the first show, Koo replied with a tired smile: “Sorry, after the first night I was practically exhausted. I saw a little, but not much. I just wanted to focus on doing the second show well.”
As for a possible tour, Koo was cautious. “I tend to concentrate on one thing at a time. Right now I haven’t thought about it much, and it’s not entirely up to me. At this very moment, I just want to sleep through the whole afternoon tomorrow. I’m really, really tired.”
The Hong Kong concert marks perhaps a rare—or final—live musical outing for the multi-hyphenate star, who last month also released a new film. For the fans who filled the 12,500-seat venue, it was a night of nostalgia, heart, and a reminder that even the busiest stars value raw human connection above all.
