Taiwan’s renowned band Mayday recently held their concert “Back to That Day” at the Shanghai Gymnasium. During the opening on the 19th, lead singer Ashin informed the audience that nearby residents felt an “earthquake” in their homes while the concert was ongoing. He urged the fans to “wave their hands instead of jumping.”
According to reports from “The Paper,” on the day of the concert, tests were conducted at the Huicui Garden community near the Shanghai Gymnasium. It was found that when the chorus of the song “Sad People Don’t Listen to Slow Songs” played, the aluminum alloy windows began to shake violently, emitting a metallic clashing sound. Water bottles on tables also shook rapidly, giving a sensation of the house “swaying from side to side.”
The report stated that during Mayday’s 10-day concert in Shanghai, more than 10 buildings experienced shaking during the seven completed shows. Residents recalled that each show had over 3 instances of shaking corresponding to specific songs, namely “Sad People Don’t Listen to Slow Songs,” “Party Animal,” and “Leaving the Earth’s Surface.” Similar incidents had occurred several times in the past.
Experts explained that this phenomenon could be a form of resonance. Studies have shown that when the beats per minute (BPM) of a song are around 140, sound waves are more likely to resonate with the structures of residential buildings. The beats per minute for “Party Animal” is 136, while “Sad People Don’t Listen to Slow Songs” and “Leaving the Earth’s Surface” both have a BPM of 138, aligning closely with professional speculations. Furthermore, during the concert, the synchronization of movements between the singers and the audience can match the ground vibration frequency and the natural frequency of the surrounding buildings, leading to resonance and causing the houses to shake.
In fact, a similar shaking incident occurred during Mayday’s concert at the Shanghai Stadium in 2023. Reports at that time mentioned visible shaking of stationary items, lights, doors, and windows in nearby residents’ homes, lasting for about 2 minutes.
At the beginning of this concert, Mayday’s lead singer Ashin advised the audience: “In our surroundings, our dear neighbors truly felt the earthquake!” Therefore, he specifically reminded the fans to “wave their hands instead of jumping.” Believe Music Company also stated, “As soon as we learned of this situation, we urged waving hands instead of jumping during the concert and successfully completed the performance.”