EIGHT rock'n'roll bands, more than three hours of shows and continuous screaming from several hundred fans marked a concert on December 4 to commemorate the death of John Lennon at the Ark, a popular rock club in Xintiandi.

　　All the bands were local, including On9, whose four members are foreigners living in Shanghai. Each covered the Beatles' and John Lennon's classics such as "Helter Skelter", "Beautiful Boy" and "Love" in their own way.

　　The concert was surprisingly successful: these bands did not merely copy and imitate what the Beatles and Lennon did decades ago, they ignited the fans with their own interpretations of the familiar music. They also performed their own works. With no disrespect to Lennon and the Beatles, fans sometimes cheered more loudly for the bands' original compositions.

　　"Yes, I love Lennon and his songs. It's wonderful that his works have been revived in a live concert," Sun, a local rock fan, commented after the concert. "It's even greater to see that those bands are continuing along the road that the Beatles and Lennon carved out."

　　The concert was organized by Yu Yin Tang, a group which was formed four months ago by its six members. Unlike professionals who attach themselves to rock bands for business purposes, Yu Yin Tang just tries to help the bands. Each member of Yu Yin Tang has his own occupation. They run the group only because "We love rock'n'roll," said Wu Dan, a founder of the group.

　　The group members are rock lovers, some of them since middle-school. The group's beginning was also inspired by a live show by an English rock band - Suede - in Beijing. Group members found that they shared many tastes and ideas about rock. After the concert, they began to plan their project. It took them more than a year to get it off the ground.

　　The name was the first problem they confronted."We tried every conceivable name we could think of, but none of them seemed good enough. We thought the name should reflect the rock culture of Shanghai. We even tried the name The Suzhou Creek, but obviously, it was not good enough," Wu explained. "By chance, we found a road in Zhabei District called Yu Yin Tang Road. We use the name Yu Yin Tang, and modified one character in the name so that the name implies 'breeding music'. On the other hand, because Zhabei District was a less developed area of Shanghai, it could reflect the humble roots of rock."

　　Shanghai rock

　　The current conditions of underground rock bands in Shanghai contributed to the founding of the Yu Yin Tang group. Unlike the underground rock bands in Beijing, rock bands in Shanghai are rather obscure and freewheeling. Some of them have great musicians, but their achievements are usually recognized only by hardcore fans.

　　Rocker Cui Jian once denied there was any rock music in Shanghai. This attitude shared by the public makes it a tough task for the group to promote Shanghai rock bands.

　　Even though the members of the group have their own jobs, they spend most of their spare time with local rock bands. One group member is a DJ, who helps keep the group in touch with bands. They can spot the bands' hidden talents and deficiencies more easily than others.

　　"We realize that Shanghai rock fans are very different from those in Beijing. Compared with the aggressive and outspoken bands in Beijing, Shanghai bands are more reticent. Many of them don't communicate with each other and even avoid live performances. Our main goal is to help the bands to put on as many live shows as possible so they can gain experience and communicate with other bands," Wu said.

　　In order to carry out their self-appointed task, the group has arranged several successful live concerts in Harley's Bar on Nandan Donglu. The concerts each attracted five or six local bands and several hundred rock fans. Every concert became a party for bands and audiences.

　　"Our group's major principle is to 'live live', that means we have dedicated ourselves to promoting all kinds of live shows. We believe that live concerts can best convey the nature of rock'n'roll, so we try our best to help local bands do live shows.

　　The name of the December 4 concert was "Give live a chance - John Lennon Tribute." The double meaning of the word "live" indicates the group's attempts to bring Lennon back for rock fans, and to present an exciting live show for the audience. "It's not only a concert, it's a really a cool party," said Wang, a local rock fan who was still under the influence of the concert long after it ended.

　　Twenty-four years ago, on a gloomy winter day, John Lennon's life was ended. After 24 years, still on a gloomy winter day, Lennon's songs lit up his fans adoration and passion for him and for rock music. "We do it only because we love it," Wu said. "Rock music makes us feel warm and good."

　　By Xu Jitao