Asia News: International Incident Involving Bruno Mars;

PHILIPPINES

Olivio Rodrigo ticket sales delight and confuse fans

Filipino-American fans of Filipino-American superstar Olivia Rodrigo were delighted and baffled to find that all tickets for her GUTS World Tour concert on October 5 at the 55,000-capacity Philippine Arena in Manila were marked as “Silver Star” tickets and cost 1,500 Philippine pesos, or about $27, making her concert much cheaper than tickets for local artists.

Silver Star tickets include all taxes and fees and are randomly allocated to all buyers as they are all the same price.

Rodrigo has stated that all net proceeds from the Manila show will benefit her Fund 4 Good, a “global initiative to support community-based nonprofits that help empower women… advance girls' education, support reproductive rights, and prevent gender-based violence.”

TAIWAN

The international incident of Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars found himself in cross-strait controversy after sending an appreciative message to his Taiwanese fans following two sold-out shows in early September.

Accordingly Taiwan NewsMars posted “Thank you, Taiwan, China” in simplified Chinese characters on Chinese social media platform Weibo on September 11, along with a video showing him singing along with his fans at one of his two performances in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.

Many of the Taiwanese fans who saw the message were baffled because the post seemed to imply that Taiwan is part of China, a claim the Chinese government has made for decades but is not accepted by many Taiwanese.

In Mars' defense, some fans pointed out that Mars had simply written “Thank you Taiwan” along with a Taiwanese flag on his own Instagram account, which is generally banned in China. However, even that post was later changed to “Thank you Kaohsiung” and the flag icon was removed.

KOREA

Pitch conditions lead to complaints

A comment from one of South Korea's biggest soccer stars almost led to the cancellation of two concerts by one of South Korea's biggest singers this week.

Korean media reported that Son Heung-min, captain of the Korea national football team, criticized the condition of the pitch at the Seoul World Cup Stadium after a match against Palestine on September 5, saying he believed the team could not perform at its best on such a poor pitch.

As a result, a petition was submitted to the relevant authorities on September 11, demanding the cancellation of concerts by singer-songwriter IU, often referred to as Korea's Taylor Swift, at the stadium on September 20 and 21, as the large number of spectators would devastate the pitch ahead of a World Cup qualifier between Korea and Iraq on October 15.

Apparently there is dissatisfaction with the quality of stadium maintenance and the local football association is already considering moving the Iraq match to another stadium. Both IU concerts are now sold out, which means that 100,000 people will be in the stadium on both concert days. Ultimately, the concerts were not cancelled despite the petition.

South Korea currently has a shortage of venues for large concerts – a problem that will become more severe in the near future.

CHINA

You are sold out

Kanye West's “Vulture Listening Experience World Tour Listening Party” at Wuyuan River Sports Stadium in Haikou, Hainan Province, China, on September 15, the 42,000 tickets sold out quickly, with 96% purchased by people “from outside the island province,” according to a report in China daily newspaper.

The report did not provide any details about the show itself, but according to TMZ, West appeared with all four of his children during the performance.

A few days before the concert New York Times reported that West's fans in China were “confused” that Chinese authorities allowed the concert to go ahead, given West's often provocative statements and behavior.

The New York Times wondered if this had anything to do with the current state of the Chinese economy. Since China opened its borders in the wake of the COVID lockdown, it has been “trying to boost consumer spending and promote tourism.”

Haikou is considered one of China's most important tourist destinations, with some calling it the “Chinese Hawaii.” The government promotes this image by allowing visa-free entry for tourists and setting up duty-free shopping.

The controversies plaguing West in the U.S. are not a major problem in China. Apparently the country's censorship board did not restrict any of the songs West was asked to submit. Chinese authorities require foreign artists to submit set lists for approval before their performances.