The beat WENT ON

It was, as Charles Dickens might have put it, the best of times and the worst of times. With protest movements lining the streets as 2013 gave way to 2014, the worst of times were very much in evidence as music fans realised that concerts they’d been looking forward to for months would probably be cancelled.
And indeed the first five months of 2014 were hard for music junkies. In January, days after the Bangkok Shutdown was declared. American music legend Frankie Valli and his Four Seasons called off their long-overdue Bangkok debut at Central Lat Phrao’s Bangkok Convention Centre, a venue all too close to one of the antigovernment rally sites.
A week later, “Don’t Kick the Chair” singer Dia Frampton cancelled her gig at Bangkok’s Hard Rock Cafe due to the “current situation in Thailand”. Guitar god Eric Clapton’s cancelled gig on March 2 would have been his fourth in Thailand and tickets had sold out well in advance. Instead fans found themselves heading to ThaiTicketMajor to obtain refunds.
The second edition of the Silverlake Pattaya rock festival was also abruptly cancelled when rock icons Nine Inch Nails, the Hives, Foals and Taking Back Sunday all cited security concerns and pulled out.
The military’s coup in May prompted American country princess Taylor Swift to cancel her sold-out Bangkok show, slated for June 9, sending fans into a deep depression.
Neil Thompson, deputy managing director of BEC-Tero Entertainment, organiser of the Valli, Clapton and Swift concerts, was surprisingly philosophical.
“The nature of this business, as we are dealing with live events, is one of constantly changing variables and we have learned to deal with postponements and cancellations for various reasons. A lot has been happening around the world in 2014 and not only here in Thailand.
“Changes occur all the time and everywhere in the world. Artists, audiences and promoters have all experienced difficulties and obstacles. A sudden death saw the abrupt cancellation of the Rolling Stones’ concerts and there have been several cancellations and postponements around the world because of health concerns, conflicts and the weather. All we can do is try to bring the best shows and a great quality of entertainment to our audiences in Thailand,” Thompson said, while stressing that 2014 was not BEC-Tero’s worst year.
“We had a lot of success with our local shows and we were able to develop a number of new brands and extend local tours to new venues upcountry. We look forward to an exciting year in 2015 with a programme that’s 90-per-cent confirmed. We wish to thank everybody for supporting our shows and hope that we have something for everyone in 2015.”
The promoter is ensuring 2015 gets off to a good start with concerts by California rockers Avenged Sevenfold, Canadian crooner Michael Buble and Britain’s hottest band One Direction plus an array of exhibitions and the “Disney on Ice” show.
And, to be fair, 2014 was not entirely dry in terms of concerts by foreign acts. Canadian rock chic Avril Lavigne braved the political unrest and performed in Bangkok for the second time in February followed in March by American crooner Bruno Mars and alternative rock ers Thirty Seconds to Mars, also on their second visit to Bangkok. Aussie soft rock duo Air Supply dropped in to serenade Thai fans with their classic greatest hits in June while in October R&B diva Mariah Carey graced Bangkok with her Elusive Chanteuse Show.
Big Japanese and South Korean names were also very much in evidence. FT Island chose Bangkok to stage their sixth anniversary concert in March, Japanese popster Kyary Pamyu Pamyu stopped over on her “Nanda Collection” world tour and former X-Japan member Yoshiki staged a classical concert in June. September saw JYJ, EXO the Lost Planet and Park Shin-hye performing in front of enthusiastic fans while October brought us South Korean superstars 2PM. Earlier this month Japanese rockers Plan-B enlarged their fan base in Thailand with a debut show on RCA.
The best of times arrived with the sudden surge in EDM (electronic dance music) events. A global trend, EDM is the new generation’s “pop”, a fact that promoters more used to bringing in live acts have been quick to realise. It’s also a safer bet as even if one or more artists pull out from a festival at the last minute, replacements can quickly be found. EDM events are great fun too as they usually take the form of massive parties where people get into the vibe and dance all night.
Regular visits by foreign DJs combined with the constant spin of EDM in restaurants, bars and shopping malls have brought the genre into the Thai mainstream with the result that tens of thousands of fans never miss the parties. Though light, sound and sometimes performances can be crucial to the festival, the quality of the music and some big names ensures ticket sales for this kind of event.
In addition to the international EDM acts performing at clubs in Bangkok, 2014 also saw the arrival of several “festival brands” that guarantee big acts and big-budget productions. They kicked off with Sensation, a world-class music event first held in Amsterdam back in 2000. Held at Bitec at the end of January on the theme “Wicked Wonderland”, it featured up-and- coming acts like Nervo and Mark Knight. More than 10,000 tickets were sold in just a few days of going on sale.
Another fast sell-out was Ultra Worldwide from Miami, which come to Bitec in September with headliners Martin Garrix, W&W, Fedde Le Grand and Alesso.
Gravity Thailand brought in “futuristic mechanical cabaret” Arcadia from the UK to Siam City Park in November, filling the grounds with dazzling light installations, pyrotechnics and top-notch DJs Roni Size and the Bloody Beatroots as well as many local acts.
Local brands too are making their presence felt, among them veterans 808 Festival and Together Festival as well as newcomers Waterzonic and Wonderfruit.
Better still, they’ll all be back in 2015.