‘It’s been four years since we’ve been on the road’: Brett Yang on the TwoSet World Tour

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The Four Million Subscribers concert with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the collaboration concert we did with bass player Davie504 were two very different concerts within three months of each other. With both concerts, we experienced scalpers, which is very interesting. It was our first time that we actually ran into this scenario. Our Four Million Subscribers concert was such a milestone for us, but mainly for our fans, because the YouTube live stream was free for everyone.

It was my dream to play with an orchestra with a Strad. This was everything coming together. We picked the Victoria Concert Hall as our venue, but the seating was only about 600 to 700 capacity. Due to organising a time when the orchestra is available, and also when the venue is available, we couldn’t find a bigger venue. Because the seating was so limited, tickets sold out within a few minutes. There were thousands of people waiting in line on ticketing websites, which resulted in scalpers: people who buy a ticket, then resell it for a much higher price. I don’t know how I feel about that. I think there were fans buying tickets for around $700-$800 per ticket for this event. And I know this event is quite a special event, even though we’re streaming for free. I think a lot of people wanted to be there.

There were thousands of people waiting in line on ticketing websites, which resulted in scalpers: people who buy a ticket, then resell it for a much higher price

A third of the audience there had flown from all around the world, just to see this concert. With the scalper situation, honestly, we didn’t really have a solution for that. We actually tried to find a semi-solution for the Davie x TwoSet concert: we actually just announced the concert privately, we didn’t really make a big announcement. That way, the fans had a chance to actually get tickets, which kind of worked. I’m glad that happened.

Talking of concerts though, moving forward, we have our world tour coming up. A lot of people are asking about what type of show it is. My answer is, it’s a mix of storytelling, classical music and a bit of comedy in a typical TwoSet style. It’s been four years since we’ve been on the road! We’re going to Canada, Europe, UK, as well as Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

There has to be a framework in our shows. We don’t just walk on stage and do whatever. Normally our shows, are first of all tours have certain messages and values we want to share. Our virtual tour we did one a half years ago was that we were in this world where classical music could be lost forever. We had to go back in time and meet different composers and we’d show the personality of every composer in different timelines. You need that framework in order for creativity to come out. Otherwise, it’s just all loose cannons, you don’t know what’s going on. 

The upcoming world tour will span across two years, bringing TwoSet Violin to more than 30 cities. With an all-new script promising wit and musicality, audience members will be treated to a show that’s uniquely TwoSet, inviting everyone to have a great time to enjoy classical music.

Interview by Davina Shum

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