Upset Andy Lau fans call for answers after Hong Kong government rejects bid to reschedule cancelled shows
- Canto-pop superstar had wanted to perform in December, but Leisure and Cultural Services Department said no
- Now 80,000 fans will get a refund, and some are demanding an explanation as to why concerts are off
Canto-pop superstar Andy Lau Tak-wah has been forced to cancel his postponed shows after the Hong Kong government rejected a bid to hold them in December.
On Friday evening, Focus Entertainment, the production company behind the “My Love Andy Lau World Tour in Hong Kong 2018”, said the 80,000 fans who bought tickets would get a refund.
The company said it had applied to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to rent the venue at the Coliseum for Lau’s rescheduled concerts at the end of the year, the earliest date available to the star. But the department rejected the application.
“We regret to announce that our booking application for the Hong Kong Coliseum for December 2019 has not been accepted,” the company said on its Facebook page.
Refund procedures would be announced on January 31, it added. The company did not explain why the application had been rejected.
Of 14 comments left on the notice in less than an hour, fans mainly expressed disappointment and sadness. But user Jomel Ng called for the production company to explain the reasons behind the government’s decision.
“There are more than 80,000 fans who are affected by this cancellation, including me, who flew all the way from Singapore and bought the tickets at 2½ times the original price,” she commented. “Focus Entertainment should not just write a statement that the application has been rejected, and seek our understanding, without providing any justification.”
The concerts were originally planned for between December 15 and January 3, and formed the first leg of Lau’s world tour. It was also the 57-year-old celebrity’s 14th performance at the Coliseum and his first world tour in eight years.
However, Lau was forced to abandon his performance in the middle of his 14th show of the 20-concerts series because of throat inflammation on December 28. As a result seven concerts were cancelled.
“The doctor said I shouldn’t sing any more, but I really can’t bear to let go,” Lau told thousands of people in the audience in a hoarse voice.
