Taiwanese boy band F4 sprung a surprise reunion on fans at rock band Mayday’s concert in Taiwan on Saturday.
The quartet’s performance of their ballad Meteor Rain sparked a wave of nostalgia at the Taipei Arena, and sent many among the 40,000 concertgoers singing along.
Meteor Rain was the theme song to the 2001 popular TV drama Meteor Garden, which starred F4’s Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu, Vic Chou, and Ken Chu, and catapulted them to stardom.
The series, which was based on the Japanese manga series Boys Over Flowers, captured the hearts of millions across Asia and popularised the “idol drama” genre.
Meteor Garden also starred Barbie Hsu, who died from pneumonia in February.
Its storyline centres around a girl from a working-class family, played by Hsu, who goes to school with four rich and arrogant boys known as the F4, short for Flower 4.
The series’ success spawned other Asian adaptations, including Japan’s Hana Yori Dango in 2005, South Korea’s Boys Over Flowers in 2009, China’s Meteor Garden in 2008 and F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers in 2021.
The boy band F4, which formed around the same time the Taiwanese series debuted, disbanded in 2009, but came together four years later for a one-off performance during Chinese TV network Jiangsu’s Spring Festival Gala.
Mayday’s frontman Ashin, whose real name is Chen Hsin-hung, said it took his band years to get all four F4 members together again.
“Everyone overcame a lot of obstacles to make this picture a reality,” Ashin said on Saturday.
Mayday, which was formed in 1997, is one of the most popular bands in the Chinese-speaking world – at one point being described as the “Beatles of Asia” by the music press. Their success has also seem them compared to the likes of Coldplay and Maroon 5.
At Saturday’s concert, F4 also performed Mayday’s The Song of Laughter and Forgetting with the rock group.
F4’s Yan thanked Mayday for its “amazing effort” in reuniting his former band mates.
“This is something I could not have imagined would happen again in my lifetime. It’s also made us reminisce about our youth,” said Yan, now 48.
“I am very grateful to everyone who are here to share a beautiful evening with us,” said bandmate Wu, 46.
All four band members are in their 40s and are still active in the entertainment industry.
Fans were ecstatic about the reunion, with many calling for the band to hold their own concert.
“OMG!! Thank you Mayday !! My childhood is alive. It’s crazy seeing [F4] perform again,” read one comment on X.
“Are you crying already… because we are! Hello to the inner child in you jumping up and down because #F4 just reunited! Tour soon? We hope!” Sound Check Manila, whose account curates music events in the Philippine capital, also wrote on X.
Taiwan’s Mirror Media earlier reported that F4 would hold a a concert next year, marking 25 years since their debut. This has not been verified by the artists or their agents.
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