BARELY A MONTH ago it looked so promising: an armada of international music was on the way to enshrine Hong Kong in the annals of rock respectability. Now the fallout from the overseas reaction to the atypical pneumonia outbreak is sweeping through a shell-shocked entertainment industry.
High-profile acts such as the Rolling Stones, Santana and Moby have pulled the plug and a host of smaller artists have cancelled or postponed. As crowds stay away, ticket sales are evaporating and refunds being dished out. The list of what's off is growing daily as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) scare keeps punters indoors. Organisers and venue owners hope the next few days will bring a resolution, as a few more weeks of cancellations could put the arts and entertainments scene in crisis.
'It's an unprecedented situation,' admits Andrew Bull of Arena Group. 'Apart from the human tragedy of it, we were all hoping last week would be the worst of it. Right now there's no way of telling when it's going to be over.'
Promoters such as Bull have to negotiate the artists' schedules and book venues months before performances. Hong Kong's position on international tours could be jeopardised due to its current inability to secure bookings. 'At the moment all we have is uncertainty and hysteria. Until that subsides, one would be loath to announce anything. It pales into insignificance.'
Responsible for the recent Cliff Richard concert, Bull is lucky in that he sidestepped the current cancellation crisis by mere weeks. This provides no comfort, however, as he explains: 'Atypical pneumonia is the only non-war story that the world is watching. If the situation gets worse and more housing blocks are quarantined, it will be a long time before we can attract artists from overseas again - especially as those from the United States are particularly sensitive right now.'
With governments and the World Health Organisation now issuing travel warnings, the Hong Kong Film Festival, which begins next week, has suffered as the majority of guest speakers from overseas, including what was to be its coup, Far From Heaven director Todd Haynes, are now unable to attend.
'Who would want to come here if they knew they would have to be quarantined for 10 days after they return?' asks festival director Peter Tsi Ka-kei. In the meantime, his team is liaising closely with the eight venues. 'We are monitoring the number of new cases each day, although I think the majority of people will still want to come. We'll be supplying free masks for everyone,' he adds positively.