International News: Brisbane Arena Row, Myanmar Earthquake Fallout & More

AUSTRALASIA

by Christie Eliezer

AUSTRALIA

In-Fighting Over Brisbane Live Arena Funding

A row broke out over funding for the A$2.385 billion (US$1.498 billion) 18,000-seat indoor entertainment and sports Brisbane Live Arena.

It was proposed 2016 by ASM Global (Asia Pacific) chairman and chief executive Harvey Lister to be built over Roma Street rail precinct.

A consortium of Live Nation, Oak View Group (Pollstar‘s parent company) and Australia’s Plenary Group is a rival bid.

After delays, the project was mooted to go ahead during the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics.

But a funding review by a new state government announced late March it had opted for a 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park costing $3.785 billion ($2.378 billion) as a centrepiece and that it would scrap Brisbane Live to help fund it.

This was disputed by the Federal government, which committed A$2.5 billion ($1.57 billion) to Brisbane Live. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “We want it to happen, absolutely we do.”

Brisbane “does need an indoor arena so that you can have acts. It’s about leaving a legacy”.

Queensland premier David Crisafulli has floated a public-private partnership to build Brisbane Live, “for the fraction of cost to taxpayers,” and moving it to the suburb of Woolloongabba.

The Live Nation consortium remains involved,  confirming, “Our proposal offers a commercial model that significantly minimises government investment and eliminates taxpayer risk.”

 “With Live Nation and its partners leading the way, the Brisbane arena is poised to become a premier entertainment destination, attracting global tours and driving economic growth for decades beyond the Olympics.”

Lister, who expressed “disappointment” at Brisbane Live’s exclusion from Games funding, is yet to announce his plans.

Executive Moves At MG Live, Wasserman 

MG Live, part of Mushroom Group, appointed Sam Rogers director of touring. He joined the group in 2020 after five years at WME.

“His wealth of expertise and leadership will be instrumental in ensuring MG Live continues to set the benchmark for touring across our region,” said Mushroom CEO Matt Gudinski.

Over the past year, MG Live delivered 50 tours to 500,000 fans.

Wasserman tapped distinguished sports executive Peter Jarmain as vice president of Wasserman Live, its branding and signage, custom fabrication and live event production division across Australia and APAC.

Wasserman has operated Down Under since 2006, with music clients including drawcards Amy Shark, Dom Dolla, Lorde and Sia.

Music Awards Loses Funding Over Win

Brisbane City Council pulled its A$25,000 ($15,725) funding of the Queensland Music Awards for allowing a “divisive” March 25 win by jazz composer Kellee Green. Her instrumental track was titled “River to Sea”, a phrase used by pro-Palestinian forces. Her winning speech accused Australia of complicity with Israel.

NEW ZEALAND

Promoter Calls For Tightened Ticket Rules

While the Commerce Commission investigates hundreds of complaints about the cancellation of the Jucy Fest and Timeless Summer festivals, a promoter is calling for a tightening of ticket rules.

Brent Eccles of Eccles Entertainment reactivated his call for the NZ government to introduce new laws where ticket sellers must keep customers’ cash in trust in case there is a cancellation.

Patrons trying to retrieve money from the Ticket Fairy agency were told it had been returned to the promoter.

An initial liquidator’s report estimates the promoter owe creditors over NZ$2.4 million (US$1.37 million).

Eccles told NZ radio, “They’ve sold their services based on the fact that the promoter can get their money, and we hope that if something goes wrong that they are cashed up well enough to be able to refund the money.”

ASIA

by Phil Brasor

HONG KONG

Police Investigate Jay Chou Ticket Scammers

Police in Hong Kong are investigating a fake ticket scam surrounding upcoming concerts by Mandopop veteran Jay Chou. According to The Standard, Tse Kar-ho, the founder of Best Shine Group, the organizer of the concerts, said he was contacted by “over a hundred individuals” about ticket sales after they saw an account on a social media platform “impersonating” Best Shine and “falsely asserting” that tickets for the shows were still available. Tse says that tickets for the three-day stand are already sold out. Tse reported the matter to police on March 31.

Tse says a fake website is tricking fans into buying tickets for the shows using a bank account with a name similar to his company’s. In addition to selling fake tickets to the Chou concerts, the fraudulent page is also selling tickets to other artists who are planning to hold concerts in Hong Kong in the near future, none of which are being organized by Tse’s company.

JAPAN

‘Big In Japan’ Acts Plan Farewell Tours

Three American rock bands whose careers were built on their popularity in Japan are conducting farewell Japan tours in 2025. Winger finished up their last tour of Japan when they played Tokyo’s Ex Theater Roppongi on March 31 and April 1. Though front man Kip Winger will continue being a songwriter and musician, he recently told a magazine that he will no longer tour. 

Night Ranger has not made any formal announcement that they will halt touring, but the group’s notice for their October tour on social media through Japanese promoter Udo Artists say the upcoming shows in Osaka and Tokyo will constitute “The Goodbye Tour.” Night Ranger has released five live albums and videos recorded in Japan. 

Cheap Trick, whose famous 1977 live At Budokan album supercharged their success in the U.S., are also supposedly planning a farewell tour of Japan, according to Udo Artists, sometime before the end of the year. No dates have been announced so far, but Udo has printed fliers to that effect. 

Sonic Mania Lineup Announced

Creativeman Productions has announced the initial lineup for its Sonic Mania concert event on August 15 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, east of Tokyo. Sonic Mania is a rave-like festival that takes place on the eve of the Tokyo leg of Creativeman’s Summer Sonic music festival. The roster so far is The Prodigy, Floating Points, Gesaffelstein, Tohji and 2Hollis.

SOUTH KOREA

Ye In Inchon

South Korean organizer Coupang Play announced on March 30 that Kanye West will hold a solo concert on May 31 at the Incheon Munhak Stadium. Tickets go on sale this month. The concert will double as a “listening party” for his controversial new album “Bully.” Last year West held an event in Korea promoting his collaborative album Vultures 2. West’s last solo concert in Korea was in 2016. 

Singer Sues City Over ‘Incitement’ Pledge

South Korean singer Lee Seung-hwan filed a petition with the country’s Constitutional Court claiming that a municipality’s demand that he sign a written pledge to not engage in political “incitement” during a scheduled concert last December was an infringement on his rights. The municipal government of the city of Gumi canceled Lee’s reservation at a municipal venue for his 35th anniversary concert two days before it was scheduled to take place after he refused to sign the agreement.

Yonhap news service reports that the Constitutional Court has dismissed the petition during the preliminary review process, saying “the petition does not meet the necessary legal requirements to be considered by the court.” In addition, the court said that Lee’s “fundamental rights have already ceased to be infringed” and there was no “significant risk” that similar infringements will happen again.

The 59-year-old singer had publicly criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is currently undergoing impeachment proceedings for declaring martial law last year, during a rally in Seoul where “progressive activists” called for his impeachment. Gumi city demanded that before he take the stage for his December concert he pledge to not make any political pronouncements. 

In January, Lee filed a damages suit worth the equivalent of $174,000 against Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho and his government, arguing that their decision to revoke his permission to use the Gumi Arts Center was unfair. He filed the petition with the Constitutional Court in February. 

The mayor hailed the court ruling, saying that while freedom of expression must be protected it should not “take precedence over citizens’ safety.” Lee’s lawyers expressed regret over the decision and said it would likely lead to similar incidents in the future.

THAILAND

Earthquake Nixes Boynextdoor Show

China’s Global Times reports that the major earthquake that hit Myanmar and other areas of Southeast Asia on March 28 caused the cancellation of a concert by South Korean boy band Boynextdoor scheduled for Bangkok the next day. Many international fans who traveled to Thailand for the concert were thus stranded there. 

Following the quake, organizers reportedly released a cancellation notice and then quickly retracted it, according to Singapore media outlets, sowing confusion. International fans thus proceeded with their Bangkok travel plans only to be met with the news that the group had already left Thailand. It wasn’t until after the band was out of Thailand that the organizers issued a second, definitive notice confirming the cancellation. Global Times says that some of the fans were actually at the airport on their way to the concert when Boynextdoor was leaving and there is supposedly video of fans “pleading” with members of the group.

Boynextdoor subsequently posted an apology to fans on the platform Weverse. They are scheduled to play Hong Kong on April 6.