Cantopop Singer Jacky Cheung Is Boosting South Asia Concert Economy
Having completed a sold-out residency in Macau and 11 dates in Singapore, Jacky Cheung heads to Kuala Lumpur to perform for 6 nights. Tickets to Kuala Lumpur’s Axiata Arena have already sold out in June.
Having completed a sold-out residency in Macau and 11 dates in Singapore, Jacky Cheung heads to Kuala Lumpur to perform for 6 nights. Tickets to Kuala Lumpur’s Axiata Arena have already sold out in June.
Hong Kong singer-actor Jacky Cheung is showing no sign of slowing down. The Cantopop singer who turned 62 last month (Jul) has already completed a Macao residency and 11 sold-out dates at the Singapore Indoor Stadium under his 2023 concert tour titled 60+.
Last March 30, he announced his upcoming tour in Macao, which kicked off on June 9. Continuing from Singapore, he is scheduled to perform in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Aug 12-20) before heading to Chinese cities including Wuhan and Guangzhou.
Beginning the 60+ World Tour
In Macao, a series of 12 concerts attracted a record-breaking 109,000 fans to The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena – prompting Sands China President Dr Wilfred Wong to hail the positive impact the residency provided to the Macau economy. According to Dr Wong, this event in its entertainment calendar is affirming and attractive to high-spending consumers.
Industry analysts recently credited high-profile concerts like Cheung’s for playing a significant role in Macau’s post-covid recovery and helping ‘move the needle’ in the mass market entertainment and tourism sector.
Originally scheduled to perform six shows in June, more concert dates were added after the original allocation for the Macao leg of Cheung’s latest world tour – the first to Macau in 5 years – were sold out.
Lawrence Che, founder and CEO of Chessman Entertainment Production and director general of the Macau Federal Commercial Association of the Convention & Exhibition Industry, also expressed his belief that “the shows helped stimulate domestic consumption and boost the local economy.”
According to investment bank JP Morgan, the Cheung residency attracted “the right type of (high-value) players, including those from the database of Sands’ sister property MBS, which in turn helps to lift overall industry GGR.”
Singapore, 11 dates at Singapore Indoor Stadium
The live concert reviews from Singapore’s audience last month are setting a positive precedent for what is to come in Kuala Lumpur. While many may moan about the rather short 140-minute show, it was the very showmanship of a star that superseded each show.
The show’s Singaporean music director Goh Kheng Long, 56, had told The Straits Times in an interview that he heard similar complaints – directly or indirectly – from fans in Macau during the first few shows held in June.
Goh, who played the piano during the show, explained that having a 53-piece orchestra that included strings, brass instruments, and a harp might have affected the duration of the show.
Malaysia, 6 dates at Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur
In the Malaysia-leg of the tour, Jacky Cheung’s concert is organised by Unusual Entertainment Pte Ltd and will take place over two weekends. Dubbed Hong Kong’s God of Songs, the shows will take place over two weekends.
As depicted on the concert poster, the theme for the concert is water. Explaining the theme, Cheung said: “Water is full of possibilities. Regardless of the difficulties that lies ahead, no matter how tough the terrain might be, water will always find a way through and continue its flow.”
Editor’s Choice: Jacky Cheung’s 張學友 – 這麼近那麼遠
Details of Jacky Cheung 60+ Concert Tour Malaysia are as follows:
Date: 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20 August 2023
Time: 8pm
Venue: Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil.
Tickets: All RM388, RM688, RM988, RM1188 have already SOLD OUT in May.
A Singing Career Since 1987
Since 1987, Cheung has launched nine large-scale concert tours. In 1995, he performed 100 concerts. In 2007, he performed 105 concerts. The number of his concerts increased to 147 in 2010. From 2016 to 2019, he gave 233 concerts worldwide, breaking a record in his four-decade-long career.
Jacky Cheung is grouped with three other Hong Kong superstars who’d reached the height of their stardom in the 80s. Dubbed the four top heavenly kings, their Cantonese and Mandarin songs are etched in the hearts of many fans worldwide.
“Singing is my favorite thing and I won’t stop,” he said during a news conference held in Macao. “I am older and I am still making progress as a singer.”
“I enjoy performing and I want to bring new ideas for each of my concert tours,” he adds.
Cheung, acclaimed as the “king of pop” because of his long-lasting career in showbiz, was born in Hong Kong. He launched his music career in 1984 by winning a local singing competition and has sold more than 25 million records so far.
