Update | Will show go on? Anxious fans await 4pm update from Canto-pop king Leon Lai
Veteran performer uncertain if remaining concerts can take place after fire safety woes lead to cancellation of Thursday performance
Canto-pop king Leon Lai Ming apologised to his fans on Thursday night for leaving them in limbo after his concert was cancelled at the last moment over fire safety concerns.
The show, the first in a run of eight, was due to begin at 8pm at the Central Harbourfront on Lung Wo Road. But two hours before that, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department sent out a press release saying it was refusing to issue a temporary permit for the concert because the event organisers had failed to meet fire safety standards.
Lai said he would make an announcement at 4pm on Friday on what would happen to the rest of his concerts.
Lai, 49, apologised in a video posted on his Facebook page at about 6pm, explaining that the fireproof material for the marquee that would house the show did not meet British safety standards. The outdoor venue can accommodate 4,500 people, and Lai would have been the first local singer to use it for a solo concert.
“We’re trying to see what changes we can make. People in the queue, please go home now. All I can say here is I’m sorry for all the inconvenience caused,” Lai said in the recorded message.
The Canto-pop idol made a personal appearance at the scene, using a hand-held megaphone to repeat the message.
Lai urged his fans in another video he posted online not to blame the department, saying he and his team would bear full responsibility. “Please don’t misunderstand. I have to make it clear that the case had nothing to do with the department,” he said.
Notices posted at the barricaded entrance to the venue said the show was cancelled due to “licence issues”, and ticket holders should visit the singer’s official Facebook page for the latest announcements.