Liputan6.com, Jakarta After the COVID–19 pandemic ended, many musicians, singers, and bands from the West invaded the East. They toured around the world and several cities in Southeast Asian countries.
However, Southeast Asian cities always get the last turn when western artists go on tour. Sometimes, these fans in Southeast Asia feel the brunt of it.
Because they got the last turn, the western artists were already exhausted. They had visited dozens of cities in various countries. They were exhausted and burnt out when they were on the last tour agenda and wanted to go home quickly.
One of the latest examples is The 1975 concert in Singapore on July 19, 2023. The vocalist, Matty Healy, didn’t do his best. He often sings the wrong lyrics and then hands the mic to the fans.
His performance on stage was also strange. Matt opened The 1975’s performance by opening a wine bottle and lighting a cigarette. Meanwhile, in Singapore, smoking in public places is punishable by law.
Moreover, this is the stage that the fans see. Matt didn’t care, he even did it continuously for 2 hours.
What’s worse is when Matt mocks the Malaysian government, which is very strict towards LGBTQ. He ended it by kissing his bassist on the lips.
Matt’s stage action ended in disaster. The government has revoked the permit for the Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia. The 1975 also canceled its appearances in Jakarta and Taiwan. Of course, it made a lot of losses.
Excuses such as fatigue and wanting to go home quickly make it clear that Southeast Asia is not being taken seriously. These artists could have canceled concerts due to government, sudden illness, or immigration issues.
Southeast Asia seems to be underestimated by western artists.
Trigger cities
According to data from an expert in industrial music, Chaz Jenkins, Southeast Asian cities can be categorized as trigger cities. Some trigger cities in Southeast Asia include Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.
These cities are highly interested in music streaming services, which could influence global algorithms on platforms like Spotify or Apple Music. Technically, listening to and sharing music from different genres and regions can boost an artist’s popularity and existence.
Southeast Asia's diversity of the local music scene is also a plus. From extreme music scenes to party music, it’s got it all. That should make Southeast Asia a hot spot for world music trends.
Of course, the music scene will be parallel with the availability of places to hold music events. Intimate music can be performed in various bars, national-class music can be held at national stadiums, and international-class music festivals can also be held. There’s no shortage of places to enjoy music in Southeast Asia.
Another factor Southeast Asia calls trigger cities is its strong fan base. Music fans' economic capacity is also strong. They can easily buy tickets for international music concerts and various kinds of merchandise, too.
Such as Coldplay concert in Singapore. Not just one day, but for six consecutive days! How come?
The length of Coldplay's concert in Singapore is often compared to Indonesia, which only gets one day. Coldplay is scheduled to play in Singapore later this month- specifically, on January 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, and 31, 2024. Singapore was initially allotted four days but then got an additional two days.
Top international musicians such as Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars often visit Singapore.
Several factors contributed to Coldplay and Taylor Swift's long concert days in Singapore, including young people as die-hard fans.
Supporting facilities
On the other hand, Singapore guarantees the comfort of singers, bands, and performers and the comfort of the audience.
Terrence Voon, Executive Director of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), revealed why major international musicians 'feel at home' in Singapore.
"What I think we are trying to do in Singapore is to ensure that the concert experience runs smoothly and is comfortable for visitors," Terrence Voon said.
Terrence then gave an example of the Coldplay concert venue at Singapore's National Stadium, strategically located and supported by integrated transportation modes.
Although Taylor Swift did not visit Indonesia, Slipknot came to Indonesia in 2023. The Iowa, USA band headlined the Hammer Sonic Festival in 2023. The 'Psychosocial' song owner came after their concert was postponed due to the pandemic in early 2020.
A year later, in 2024, SUM-41 came to Indonesia for their final tour, 'Tour of The Setting SUM’. The Canadian band even performed in two cities in Indonesia: Jakarta and Yogyakarta.
Despite facing many challenges, Tebonk Weimpy from Wild Ground Live, the promoter in Yogyakarta, said that Deryck Whibley and his team were willing to perform in Yogyakarta with a technical agreement that the promoter had to fulfill. One of the checklists that can be shared with the public is that their arrival must be from Jakarta or Surabaya. In this case, both cities have airports that are qualified in all aspects.
“We, Wild Ground Live, as the promoter for SUM-41's last tour are trying to fulfill all their needs while performing in Indonesia,” Weimpy explains.
“In fact, we are also working with Ravel Entertaiment to add SUM-41's shows in Indonesia. So they performed twice, Jakarta and Yogyakarta.”
Jakarta-based Ravel Entertainment will also promote Green Day's latest album tour concert in 2025. Ravel Junadry brought Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Treé Cool back to Indonesia.
“We managed to bring Green Day for a music event in Indonesia,” Junardy said.
Green Day performed in Jakarta in 1996, and they are back again. Indonesia is the only country in SEA that convinced Green Day's management to add more Asian tour points.
The journey to bring Green Day was quite long. The team from Ravel Entertainment had to make several visits to the United States. Therefore, the show will be prepared with the best efforts, starting from the venue, stage, sound system, and other supporters.
“And for now, only Indonesia has been announced. For Southeast Asia, all I know is Indonesia,” Junardy added.
Big plan
Not only does Indonesia have a big plan for hosting a big concert for west musicians, but the Philippines also has plans to build a grand stadium to host an international big concert through The Clark International Airport, and Corp. (CIAC) has received mixed responses. Many Filipinos support the plan's realization.
CIAC President and CEO Arrey Perez told local media that the stadium will be near Pampanga's Clark International Airport (CRK). He asked Taylor Swift to perform when the stadium is completed in 2028.
"The Philippines has always been a music-loving industry whenever an international concert hits. Especially with Clark Airport, it will be very easy to watch (concerts) when the facilities are here," said Arrey Perez, quoting PhilSTAR Life.
The stadium is expected to be built on 40 hectares of land for 32 billion pesos or around US$550 million.
"It's okay. Taylor Swift's concert is a good benchmark for big events, and it is backed by recent experience. A large venue will restore sports and entertainment in the Philippines," said one netizen.
Other netizens said the right decision was to build a large stadium in a strategic location close to the airport. That way, people will find it easier to visit if a big concert is held there.
"As Filipinos, we always need a bigger stadium. Our current biggest stadium has a capacity of (55,000), and it's located in the middle of nowhere, in the southern part of our country, so it would be more difficult to set up. The country really needs a bigger venue," said another netizen.
7th largest economy in the world
According to the World Economic Forum, if ASEAN is described as a country, it will be the 7th largest economy in the world. The Gross Domestic Product can reach $2.6 trillion in 2014. Later, in 2050, the GDP will be the fourth largest in the world. Meanwhile, Southeast Asia has a population of 675 million, representing 8.5% of the world’s population. Coupled with its existence, various musical diversity and its existence.
Then, what factors make western artists look down on Southeast Asia? What about laws and norms in countries in Southeast Asia?
Southeast Asian countries have characteristic cultures that are very different from the west. If so, people may refuse to come to Southeast Asia if it doesn’t match their ideals.
Wisely, fighting for justice and equality does not have to impose its ideals.