SE Asian tour a mission impossible for terror-wary Limp Bizkit
SE Asian tour a mission impossible for terror-wary Limp Bizkit
American rock group Limp Bizkit has canceled appearances in four
Southeast Asian countries due to security fears after a warning
from the U.S. State Department, promoters said on Thursday.
The band was supposed to perform in Singapore on Wednesday
night followed by dates in the Indonesian resort of Bali,
Thailand's capital Bangkok and Manila in the Philippines. It
simply did not turn up in Singapore.
Best known in Asia for their rendition of the Mission
Impossible II movie theme tune -- a popular mobile phone ringtone
-- Limp Bizkit is fronted by singer Fred Durst and mixes heavy
metal, alternative rock and hip-hop beats.
Michael Hosking, managing director of concert promoter Midas
Promotions in Singapore, confirmed that the group had canceled
its Southeast Asian appearances on short notice after a security
warning from the U.S. State Department.
"They made a decision on Tuesday morning for the show in
Singapore," he told AFP by telephone from Thailand.
He said that as far as he knew, five dates in South Korea and
Japan starting on Dec. 11 were still on.
Hosking told Singapore's Today newspaper that the band was
apparently worried about terrorist threats in Thailand, Indonesia
and the Philippines following the bomb blasts in Turkey last
month.
The band failed to turn up Monday in Singapore, regarded as
one of the most tightly protected countries in Asia, and Hosking
later received an e-mail saying the band would not be performing,
the report said.
The newspaper said the band sent a statement to its Southeast
Asian promoters expressing their "deepest apologies to fans" with
a "promise to return once security for their fans can be
assured".
The newspaper said Singapore ticket sales were poor but that
the promoters were expecting brisk sales on the concert date
itself had the band turned up. The shows for Bali and Bangkok
were reportedly sold out.
Limp Bizkit was supposed to play in Bali on Friday, Bangkok on
Sunday and Manila on Tuesday.
The Singapore Tourism Board, which touts regular performances
by international musical acts as one of the city-state's
attractions, said the cancellation of the Singapore leg was
"unfortunate".
"But Singapore continues to be a highly attractive destination
for international events and shows. We have excellent
infrastructure, modern technology and facilities, as well as
efficient logistic support that event organizers can leverage
on," a spokesman said. -- AFP