SCMP, September 19, 2003:
The $130 million Harbour Fest extravaganza must not be cancelled, as half of the fees already paid to performers could be lost, the American Chamber of Commerce organisers said yesterday.
AmCham chairman James Thompson made the remarks as it was announced that Prince would be the festival's opening act on October 17 in a rare live appearance for the performer.
Mr Thompson said it was not possible to cancel or scale down Harbour Fest - as had been suggested by some legislators this week - because such a big commitment had already been made to arrange the show. 'We have to carry on with it,' Mr Thompson said. He told the South China Morning Post that artists had already been paid 50 per cent of their fees in accordance with normal contractual arrangements and it would be difficult to get back the deposit if the event was cancelled, and law suits could follow.
Legislators have called a special meeting of Legco's financial affairs panel on October 3 to discuss possible cancellation or scaling down of Harbour Fest to address public concerns over the government's promise to underwrite the event by up to $80 million. Mike Rowse, the director-general of investment promotion at InvestHK, will be asked to detail the costs of the concerts and other activities funded by a $1 billion campaign to revive the economy following the Sars outbreak.
Harbour Fest, organised by AmCham with the financial backing of InvestHK - the government's investment promotional arm - will take place at the Tamar site from October 17 to November 9. Other confirmed performers include Santana, Westlife and Craig David. The Rolling Stones are scheduled to perform on November 7 and 9.
