Hong Kong was blasted into summer by three mega music events over ten days in July when the international sell-out tours of Coldplay and The Black Eyed Peas hit town, along with the MOOV Party extravaganza. The new Arena at AsiaWorld-Expo drew this unprecedented glut of talent to Hong Kong for the first time, and tens of thousands of people crowded into the city's largest purpose-built entertainment venue to see and hear live some of the hottest acts on the planet.
With four Grammys and as many Brit awards to their name, London-based Coldplay brought the sell-out 'Twisted Logic Tour' to Hong Kong on 13 July, delighting fans with a 90-min extravaganza of music, including tracks from their 17 million selling 2005 'X&Y' album. The Hong Kong event came at the climax of a global tour spanning Europe, the United States, Canada and other cities in Asia.
Three days later, the equally popular Grammy-winning The Black Eyed Peas had the entire arena on its feet from start to finish, screaming along with the group's biggest hits including 'Don't Phunk With My Heart' and the mega-hit anthem 'Shut Up'.
Known for the passion and energy of their live performances, 'The Monkey Business Asian Tour' is The Black Eyed Peas' hottest tour to-date and comes on the back of the critically acclaimed albums 'Behind the Front' (1998), 'Bridging the Gap' (2000) and their latest multi-million selling 'Elephunk' (2003).
Topping the hot month of music in Hong Kong, the 'Netvigator Love Music Tour – MOOV Party' transformed the Arena into a huge dance floor for Canto-sensations Aaron Kowk, Twins and Stephanie Cheng, and the hugely popular Se7en from South Korea.
All three concerts took full advantage of the impressive facilities at AsiaWorld-Arena. Concert-goers benefited from the latest acoustic technology, flexible seating and standing for a maximum of 13,500 people and state-of-the-art lighting and audio-visuals. Hundreds of concert-goers also enjoyed the buoyant atmosphere of the in-venue Spotlight Bar for a pre-and post-concert drinks.
AsiaWorld-Arena, part of the AsiaWorld-Expo complex, is changing the face of the entertainment and conference business in Hong Kong. An impressive calendar of events, from music to corporate, has been drawn to Hong Kong by the range and quality of facilities available at the complex opened in December 2005.
A clear indication of the versatility of AsiaWorld-Expo, the next events to be held from 28 to 30 July at the venue will be a far cry from the music concerts. They are:
- Hong Kong International Pet Accessory & Service Expo 2006 and Hong Kong International Aqua Accessory & Service Expo 2006 – For details, please visit www.petaccessoryexpo.com or call 2763 9011.
- The Hong Kong Health Expo & Int'l Conference on TCM & 4th Pong Ding Yuen Int'l Symposium on TCM – For details, please visit www.hkhe.net or call 3106 0784.