Show of Peace dates changed
By Patrick Kearns (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-13 10:09
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The organizers of Beijing's International Show of Peace have decided to reschedule April's concert for October, because of security concerns and to allow more time to put together the huge, celebrity-filled event.
The concert - originally slated to take place on April 17 in front of the Bird's Nest (Beijing National Stadium) - will be relocated inside the facility to better manage security and crowd control.
The concert's co-organizer said in a two-paragraph press release on Friday the change of dates and venues was made in agreement with the Ministry of Culture and the event's mastermind, Rick Garson, of Las Vegas-based ZZYX Entertainment.
"To ensure the absolute success of the concert, the leaders concerned have deliberated and decided to adjust the date of the concert to Oct 10, 2010," the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) said in the statement.
Organizers decided during the Spring Festival holiday they weren't prepared to coordinate the security personnel needed to manage an outdoor concert expected to attract 50,000 to 80,000 people.
Despite the April cancellation, Garson is one of the few people with the experience to pull it off in the new location. His US credits include the Billboard Music Awards, the Blockbuster Awards, and America's Party Live from Las Vegas New Year's Eve TV Special.
Garson had hoped the concert would be beamed live around the world via television and the Internet to mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22.
"I was a little taken back at first, but after further discussion I understand, appreciate and respect the idea," he says.
"The problems involved with holding a concert at the Bird's Nest are vast," says one Beijing-based industry insider, who requested anonymity.
Those challenges include negotiating with so many government agencies, the enormous cost of security and the cavernous stadium's acoustics, he said.
Despite the hurdles, Garson is adamant that the show will go on as planned, in October.
"It's about the message of peace and greenness, and our passion to work together and to unite the world through the universal language of music, with China leading the way," he says.