A plan to bring the Bee Gees to Hong Kong looks set to fail because of the supergroup's US$1 million-plus (HK$7.8 million) asking price for each concert and the lack of a major venue.
The almost certain collapse of a bid by a group of promoters has again turned the spotlight on to the SAR's lack of a venue big enough to attract the world's top acts.
A number of concert organisers have been negotiating for months to bring the Gibb brothers here this year. At one stage it was widely expected they would visit in April.
The Bee Gees were last in Hong Kong 26 years ago - playing a sell-out concert. In 1999, a plan to stage a concert at the old Kai Tak airport site was scrapped due to ticket piracy concerns.
Colleen Ironside, managing director of Live Limited, one of the promoters trying to bring the group, said the latest attempt never got off the ground because of the price and venue difficulties.
'We've been talking to [the Bee Gees' agent] but nothing will be 100 per cent sure until perhaps after Chinese New Year,' said Ms Ironside, whose company brought Elton John to the SAR for a concert in November at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. She would not be drawn on the amount demanded by the band.
But an industry source said: 'They are talking about more than US$1 million [HK$7.79 million] for each concert, which is simply impossible even if it sold out. Elton John got several hundred thousand US dollars.'