“Often, we may step up to say much, but we will keep on singing and keep on dancing, as long as [all you fans] are here,” he told the crowd.

The group sang “We All Are”, a ballad released three months after the accident that left dancer Mo Li Kai-yin paralysed, with a few members choking up.

Mirror performed two encores before they ended the show with “We Are”, the theme song for their 2022 concert series, which they have not performed since the accident, which also injured dancer Chang Tsz-fung.

The show started at 8.30pm with the band members raised onto the stage by a platform, as fans screamed with excitement.

At the ill-fated concert about 18 months ago, they descended from the ceiling suspended with harnesses.

Monday’s concert featured a T-shaped sloping stage and a large LED panel stretching its entire length, with suspended lights and speakers. In 2022, a large screen suspended over the stage broke free from its moorings, injuring two dancers, one severely, and prompting an official investigation and overhaul of how safety at concerts was handled.

Monday’s concert also featured indoor fireworks, while some performances involved platforms moving across the stage.

The band members and their two dozen dancers seemed to be in high spirits, walking down the part of the “T” stage into the crowd, calling on them to stand up to enjoy the show.

Throngs of ticket-holders began arriving as early as 5.30pm, three hours before the concert was scheduled to start, even though the opening night was a weekday. They formed long lines that snaked around the hall, which also featured photo booths dedicated to each of the 12 members.

Fans, armed with LED light boards, banners and dolls representing their favourite members, took photos, exchanged home-made merchandise and chanted encouragement for their idols.

Fans who spoke to the Post said they were excited that the group had made a comeback with a world tour. They added they believed the band was mentally prepared to take to the stage again in the wake of the tragedy.

The boy band will take its tour to Macau, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, London, Manchester, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

Individual Mirror members staged solo concerts last summer, and have performed as a group at one-off events, but this is the first time they have staged a concert series since the accident.

Chow, a 27-year-old who has been a fan for two years, attended the opening show of Mirror’s concert series in 2022 and will see four out of the 16 shows this time around.

Hong Kong’s Mirror bounces back, but unfinished business lingers from 2022 accident

She said did not notice anything wrong with the stage as she enjoyed the 2022 performance, but realised how risky the stage had been after she watched videos of a suspended bridge shaking and platforms failing to rise smoothly.

Chow, who works in catering, admitted the tragedy had left a scar on her, but she said she did not stop being a fan even during the group’s break from performances.

“After one and a half years, I believe Mirror is ready to overcome this together with their fans,” she said.

Another fan, Vicky Lee, said that she was looking forward to the concert because she had never seen the group perform live.

Lee, like many fans, said it was important that the performers were safe and felt confident they could perform without fear.

“Most of us do not care about extravagant effects or fireworks,” she said. “Their presence is enough.

“We just want both performers and audience to have a good time,” the 36-year-old said.

The concert at the 14,000-seat venue in Chek Lap Kok is the first of a sold-out run of 16 shows.

Makerville, Mirror’s management company, earlier said it had hired independent engineering consultants for the shows and made safety a top priority.

AsiaWorld-Expo, owned by the Airport Authority, said strict checks would be carried out, including a review of all required documents and licences. Venue management added an engineer would inspect all the mechanical equipment and installations on stage before the performances started.

A large screen suspended over the stage broke free from its moorings, injuring the two dancers. Li suffered severe spinal injuries and was left paralysed. He is still in hospital and has undergone a series of operations, as well as rehabilitation treatment.

Chang suffered less serious injuries, but still required a lengthy stay in hospital.

‘Safety the top priority’ at Hong Kong boy band Mirror’s concert series return

An investigation by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department later found that the concert organisers had submitted inaccurate information about installations at the venue and the professionals they hired had failed to ensure the fixtures were safe and secure.

Three employees of contractor Engineering Impact will in October face trial on charges of falsification of equipment information to get approval from the authorities.

The contractor was fined HK$220,000 (US$28,130) and Studiodanz, which hired the dancers, was fined HK$132,000 last November for breaches of occupational health and safety regulations and employee compensation law.

A third company facing charges related to the incident, Hip Hing Loong Stage Engineering, had its case adjourned until January 17.