Bands gear up for pop finale
San Miguel's Wild Day Out series of shows will climax on Boxing Day. Setting up camp at the Tamar site in Admiralty, show organisers expect about 15,000 attendees for this year's seven-hour event.
Nineteen acts will take to the stage, including big names both locally and from across Southeast Asia. Highlights include South Korea's top-selling boy band TVXQ, Taiwanese rock star Wu Bai, local movie star collective Alive and fusion artist Jun Kung.
'Hong Kong is such a metropolitan city though we don't have enough shows,' says event organiser Flora Kwong Man-wai. 'Wild Day Out is the only marathon outdoor concert around and I think we have the responsibility to give young people here a concert like this.'
Focusing more on the mainstream side of music, Wild Day Out holds about 22 bar shows a year, culminating in the main event in December.
'Most of the artists in Hong Kong are 'idols',' says Kwong. 'There aren't many live bands here. We select energetic acts with special attitude and character, and also promising acts.
'This year is more pop, though it's not always like that. We'll choose along with San Miguel who plays.'
Last year's show at the West Kowloon Heliport site attracted 6,000 people and organisers are expecting many more this time around. 'Tickets are very cheap, so it suits students and young people,' says Kwong. 'We expect the people coming to be aged between 16 and 30.
'It's hard to find a good venue here. There are many restrictions and constraints, mostly from the Environmental Protection Department. Sometimes they seem overly concerned. It varies from district to district.
'This year the government district groups we've dealt with have been very helpful, especially the police. Tamar is remote from residential areas and great for transportation, so we're happy with the venue.
'Putting on a show like this is very expensive. We do not aim for profit though, we just want to bring the musicians over for people to enjoy. We donate all the profits to the Christian Action Association who help lots of young people here and also poor students in China.'
Fresh from performing in front of 50,000 people in their native South Korea, TVXQ will be headlining the event.
'This is the first time we'll perform in Hong Kong,' says the singer known only as Hero. 'We are very honoured to be able to play with famous artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and want to put on our best performance. We're very excited to spend Christmas time sightseeing in Hong Kong.'
With the high-profile visits of artists such as Rain to the territory in recent months, Korean acts are all the rage among locals.
'The style of music and performance of Korean acts is a new trend for Hong Kong music fans to enjoy,' says Hero. 'Basically, it's the same way that Korean people love the movies and music from Hong Kong.
'With this performance we're looking forward to meeting our Hong Kong fans, and getting closer to them.'
Taiwanese pop singer Mavis Fan will also be a feature. Now 26, Fan has been a recording artist for 10 years now and uses shows like this to keep things interesting. 'I'll be playing some songs which I've never played before,' says Fan.
'Some of the songs haven't even been released to the public yet. Moreover, all the arrangements of the songs are a new experiment for me, so I'm very excited about it.
'There's fresh air and generally more space to move around. They allow audiences to catch up more easily with the performer's movements and beat. I think it will be very memorable for everyone,' she says.
The 19 acts are Alive, Mavis Fan, Steve Wong, Harlem, Cheer Chen, Jordan Chan, Wu Bai and China Blue, Kay Tse, Jolie Chan, Nanquanmama, Louis Chan,
Go Glory, Liya, Rising, 4pm, Jun Kung, Endy Chow, Elisa Lam and Soda Green.
Wild Day Out, 3.30pm-10.30pm, Mon, Tamar Site, Admiralty, $180, $280 Cityline. Inquiries: 2314 4228
