Black Eyed Peas member and rapper apl.de.ap. Photo: Zhang Yu

Preventing the Booey Lehoo concert from spilling into a Sino-US lovefest wasn't the only hurdle facing performers on Saturday night. Sound mishaps, predominantly English-language hosting and logistical holdups did little to engage the modestly attended music gala at the National Gymnasium.

Billed as promoting study abroad of American students to China, rapper and Black Eyed Peas' star will.i.am kicked off the concert with "T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)" featuring eight back-up dancers all sporting iPad-sized screens covering their faces.

When the 20 LED screens onstage weren't splashing epileptic graphics, they displayed short videos profiling African-American students relating their experiences of studying in China.

Though interesting, it only further burdened the show and left concertgoers who forked out 180 yuan for the cheapest tickets wondering if they would get adequate bang for their buck.  Chinese vocalist Sa Dingding was the first non-digital artist to emerge, delivering three examples of pseudo-ethnic soprano. Once touted as "The Asian Bjork," Sa tapped into her Mongolian roots with multi-language lyrics and warrior-clad singers.

Relief came in the form of neo-soul singer John Legend, who with a tight band and gospel-trained pipes in accompaniment treated the crowd to renditions of "Green Light" and "Wake Up Everybody." Closing his set with John Lennon's "Imagine" at the piano, Legend was joined mid-song by velvet-voiced songbirds Shunza and Coco Lee.

Shunza performed Mandopop hits "Write A Song" and "Heading Home," which brought her hometown crowd back to life. One of the best performers behind the microphone wasn't a singer, but rather the evening's host and ex-MTV Asia VJ, Allan Wu. He successfully stalled the restless crowd with banter over more than 10 minutes as stagehands fumbled backstage before apl.de.ap. 

 Lee took over for a short set and crowd talk fumbles that included a shout-out to US Ambassador Gary Locke and family. "Your wife is hot," she exclaimed, before ending with her U2-guitar riffed single "I Just Want to Marry You".