Asia News: Green Day To Visit; Japan Tours; Rapper Denied Entry Into Taiwan; Singapore Gets New Arena

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Green Day In SE Asia

Green Day, which early in August confirmed a four-city Japan tour for early 2025, announced on August 21 that it would also play at least two dates in Southeast Asia, one in Jakarta on February 15 as part of the Indonesian music festival Hammersonic’s 10th anniversary at Carnaval Ancol, and another in Kuala Lumpur at the National Hockey Stadium on February 18.

It will be the first time Green Day has ever played in Malaysia. It will be the group’s second journey to Indonesia, but the first time was in 1996.

Green Day was scheduled to tour Asia in 2020, taking in Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan, but canceled due to Covid-19.

JAPAN

Yoasobi, Fuiii Kaze Mount Tours

Two of Japan’s biggest acts at the moment will embark on extensive Asian tours in the coming months.

The arena tour by Japan’s hottest current export, Yoasobi, will, according to their label, Sony, be the largest ever carried out by a Japanese artist. The duo’s first Asian tour took place last December and January and sold out immediately, so this time they will tackle larger venues, starting with Seoul’s Inspire Arena on Dec. 7-8, then moving on to Hong Kong’s Asiaworld Arena on Dec. 26-27, Bitec Live in Bangkok Jan. 25-26, Taipei Arena Feb. 8-9, an as-yet-to-be-announced Shanghai venue on Feb. 15-16, Singapore Indoor Stadium Feb. 22-23, and Jakarta’s Istora Senayan Feb. 26-27.

Before that, indie soul singer Fujii Kaze will also do Asia big time with the “Best of Fujii Kaze 2020-2024” Asia tour, also his second on the continent, which will take him to many of the same venues that Yoasobi will play: the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Oct. 26, Kuala Lumpur’s Axiata Arena Nov. 2, Bangkok’s Impact Arena Nov. 9-10, Taipei Arena Nov. 16,
Jakarta’s Beach City International Stadium Nov. 30, Hong Kong’s Asiaworld Arena Dec. 4, SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila Dec. 10, and the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul Dec. 14.

TAIWAN

Chinese Rapper Denied Entry

Taiwan has denied entry to Chinese rapper Wang Yitai after Taiwan authorities discovered promotional materials made by Wang that violated local regulations.

At least one of Wang’s Sept. 14-15 performances in Taiwan was sold out when the government withdrew permission last week.

According to Discourse on Development, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said they had found “promotional images” on a website for Wang including a sign that mimicked a train station’s saying “Next Stop: Taipei, China.” Realizing that sales of concert tickets had commenced before Wang submitted his entry application, the MAC determined that the promotional materials “violated entry regulations.”

In a statement, MAC said that “while Taiwan welcomes mainland Chinese Artists and encourages cross-strait music exchanges, such exchanges must be based on equality and mutual respect.” The promotion materials were deemed to be “demeaning [to] Taiwan’s status.”

Wang, who recently released his third album, has more than 5 million followers on China’s main social media platform, Weibo.

SINGAPORE

Arena@EXPO Provides More Event Space

Singapore has a new mid-size concert venue, Arena@EXPO, a “multipurpose events space” that can hold up to 6,700 people.

A statement released by Constellar, which manages the larger EXPO complex where the arena is located, said, “Concert organizers today seek spaces for mid-sized concerts, which are gaining popularity.

Until now, Singapore had only had a few suitable venues for concerts attracting 3,000
to 7,000 attendees. With Arena@EXPO, promoters have a concert space that is tailored to meet the needs of artists, and they can also provide attendees with more intimate and engaging experiences.”

The arena uses a “plug-and-play concept,” which allows for setups that can be customized for each event using a “modular infrastructure and furnishings that can be easily arranged for creating different layouts.”

The statement said that when the Japanese rock band Radwimps played the venue in May, they “opted for a T-shaped stage and a standing pen to encourage greater interaction with the audience.” AV facilities and lighting are also custo-
mizable for a “bespoke experience.”