Still No Gaga In Jakarta

As many had predicted, Lady Gaga’s June 3 concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, which was to be the largest on her current Asian tour, was formally canceled May 27.

After Islamic groups threatened to enact “chaos” if the singer landed in the country, the concert’s promoters and Lady Gaga’s management decided to pull the plug.

Minola Sebayang, attorney for local promoter Big Daddy, told reporters, “This is not only about Lady Gaga’s security, but extends to those who will be watching her.”

Police had already denied a permit for the concert after the hardline Islamic Defenders Front called the American artist “a devil’s messenger” and hinted at a violent response to her arrival in the country.

However, the promoters tried to come to an agreement with the singer’s management to “tone down” some of the stage act.

“For the past few days we have communicated with the government and Lady Gaga’s side,” said Big Daddy president Michael Rusli. “The government has given support, but this is not about the permit. The cancellation is really due to concerns over security.”

More than 52,000 tickets had already been sold and no alternative venue could be found to hold that many people.

Big Daddy promised to issue full refunds but has not reported how much money it will lose as a result of the cancellation.

Rusli later indicated that the concert might be rescheduled after Lady Gaga had finished her European tour later this year but not sooner.

Rusli also said that Lady Gaga had agreed to “adapt to Asian culture” for the show, but her manager, Troy Carter, said at the Music Matters conference in Singapore that she would not change her stage show for any reason.

“We’ll skip them,” he said, rather than make any changes. She has already faced protests from Christian groups in South Korea and the Philippines.

Lady Gaga offended some people in Thailand in a very different way when she arrived May 23 to play in Bangkok.
Gaga wrote on Twitter that she wanted to buy a fake Rolex and visit a “lady market” while she was in town.

Some Thais found the remarks offensive in that they reinforced Bangkok’s stereotyped reputation for pirate knockoffs and the sex trade.