Outdoor music festivals ready to rock again

(China Every day) In 2011, Zeng Kai, from Linfen metropolis, Shanxi province, attended the most effective out of doors rock festivals he had ever witnessed.

On the Midi Music Pageant in Haidian Park, Beijing, he noticed a number of of his favourite bands in motion, together with Depressing Religion, Escape Plan and Reflector. He additionally turned a fan of teams he had by no means anticipated to love.

“I watched bands I would by no means heard of, however they actually rocked that day,” mentioned the 32-year-old, who works for an organization within the mining business in Taiyuan, the Shanxi provincial capital.

“I went to the music competition with my classmates in 2011, once we had been learning at Taiyuan College of Know-how. It was the most effective journeys I would ever had,” Zeng mentioned.

Nevertheless, for the previous three years, Zeng and lots of different followers needed to take care of a scarcity of those occasions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which compelled quite a few performances, each indoors and outdoor, to be canceled.

Since China modified its COVID-19 insurance policies on the finish of final yr, quite a few organizers have introduced the return of outside music festivals, with lineups being booked, dates set, and tickets already promoting out.

“I’m already planning to journey to some festivals, and I am asking my mates in the event that they need to be part of me. I can’t wait to see my favourite artists and be stunned by acts which might be unfamiliar to me,” Zeng mentioned.

A number of music festivals might be held nationwide within the second quarter of this yr, the China Affiliation of Performing Arts mentioned. Along with main holidays, the occasions might be staged throughout weekends to satisfy demand from followers.

Zeng plans to make an early begin by attending the Midi Music Pageant in Evergreen Park, Haikou, Hainan province, from March 17-19.

That includes greater than 40 artists and bands, the competition will embrace rock singer-songwriter Xu Wei, rock band Tang Dynasty and younger teams who rose to fame lately, resembling Jiulian Zhenren and Hyper Slash.

Shan Wei, the competition’s director, mentioned: “Through the previous three years, the Midi Music Pageant, which is held yearly at venues throughout the nation, needed to be repeatedly canceled and rescheduled as a consequence of COVID-19. Now, we’re lastly capable of stage the occasion in Haikou, which is a ravishing metropolis. We’re additionally celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Midi Music Faculty.

“Will probably be the primary Midi Music Pageant of 2023, and we are going to tour from south to north, because the climate is already heat within the south.”

Shan estimated that 15,000 to twenty,000 folks will attend the competition every day.

Auditorium crammed

In 2000, the primary Midi Music Pageant was held on the Midi Music Faculty in Beijing, China’s first modern music college, which was based in 1993. Though the bands showing on the occasion had been comparatively unknown, their performances on the primary two days of Could 2000 attracted about 2,000 followers, who crammed the 500-seat auditorium and spilled out into public areas exterior.

The competition has since been staged greater than 40 instances. Venues embrace Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Jiangsu province, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The occasion has propelled many bands to fame, and practically all of the nation’s rock stars have carried out at it, together with musician Cui Jian and Tang Dynasty, one of many nation’s first heavy metallic bands.

Shan mentioned tickets offered quick after the Haikou competition was introduced. The occasion will embrace an evening dedicated to Depressing Religion, considered one of China’s hottest rock bands, whose members principally graduated from the Midi Music Faculty, together with lead vocalist and songwriter Gao Hu, who graduated from the varsity in 1997 and based the band two years later.

“At a Midi Music Pageant, followers benefit from the range of music. We’ve helped rock stars set up themselves, and extra vital, we have now launched new bands,” Shan added.

In 2021, Depressing Religion introduced The Artists’ Help Mission, a plan to assist impartial musicians who took a monetary hit from COVID-19. The band staged dwell performances throughout the pandemic, donating 50 p.c of its earnings to assist indie musicians, particularly new bands.

On March 17, Depressing Religion and three bands from The Artists’ Help Mission will open the competition in Haikou.

Shan mentioned extra new bands from the Midi Music Faculty will make their debuts on the competition within the following two days. “The competition acts as a commencement ceremony for these new bands — it is like a convention for us,” he added.

The competition venue, Evergreen Park, can be a giant attraction for audiences, because it is among the largest parks in Haikou, situated within the metropolis middle.

“It is such a pleasing expertise to go to an out of doors music competition with households and mates to get pleasure from music within the open air,” Shan mentioned. He added that along with Haikou, it’s deliberate to stage the competition in additional cities this yr, together with Beijing, Shanghai and Yantai, Shandong province.

Fashionable Sky, considered one of China’s largest indie file firms, has introduced the schedule for its 2023 Strawberry Music Pageant, which can make its first cease in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, on March 25 and 26.

One of many nation’s largest out of doors music occasions, the competition was launched by Fashionable Sky in Beijing in 2010. Will probably be staged in about 10 cities throughout the first half of this yr. Along with Wuhan, the occasion will go to Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province, Chengdu, the Sichuan provincial capital, and Funing, Jiangsu province.

The acts will embrace pop singer-songwriters Li Ronghao and Su Yunying, who will make their debuts on the competition.

Rock band Second Hand Rose can even function on the occasion. The group made its first look at an out of doors music occasion in Sanya, Hainan, on Jan 27, the fifth day of Spring Pageant, earlier than flying to Changzhi, Shanxi, to carry out at one other open-air competition the next day.

Liang Lengthy, the band’s lead singer and songwriter, mentioned: “From the heat of Sanya to freezing Changzhi, we had a busy schedule at the beginning of this yr. In Changzhi, my arms had been too chilly to play the guitar. My face was frozen and I felt as if I could not open my mouth, however I actually loved the reveals.”

As a result of pandemic, the band was unable to tour for the previous three years, however it featured in films and tv actuality reveals, unexpectedly profitable new followers.

On Dec 31, 2021, the group launched a brand new album and introduced a tour schedule for 2022, however all stops on the tour needed to be canceled due to the pandemic. Many bands skilled the identical drawback, which was irritating, Liang mentioned.

“We are going to refocus on our music by acting at out of doors festivals, on excursions and by engaged on new songs this yr. A number of thrilling issues might be occurring on the similar time,” Liang mentioned, including that the band has a packed schedule for the primary half of this yr.

Attending out of doors music festivals is widespread amongst quite a few folks in China, particularly the youthful technology. Such occasions usually are not only for rock followers — in addition they allow households and mates to have enjoyable collectively.

The 2019 Tencent Leisure White Paper, an annual report by Tencent Music Leisure Group, said that 257 out of doors music festivals had been held nationwide that yr. In each 2017 and 2018, greater than 260 such occasions had been staged throughout the nation.

With occasion organizers more and more bringing out of doors music festivals to extra second- and third-tier cities, the occasions are key to selling native tourism.
Huge attraction

On April 8 and 9, the Nanjing Yangtze River Wave Music Pageant, that includes greater than 30 teams and musicians, is because of be staged at a big ecological park within the Jiangsu provincial capital.

Li Dongyu, the competition’s founder and common supervisor, mentioned it was launched in 2015, when a two-day occasion attracted 60,000 folks. Second Hand Rose and rock singer-songwriters Zheng Jun and Xu Wei had been among the many performers.

“The placement of the competition is a giant draw for vacationers, because it options an open view of the Yangtze River,” Li mentioned, including that the pandemic meant the occasion needed to be canceled in 2021 and final yr.

Li mentioned the competition is especially attended by followers from Shanghai and cities in Zhejiang, Anhui and Shandong provinces.

“This yr, China’s performing arts market might be dominated by out of doors music festivals, which is an effective signal for the music business. We additionally stay up for the looks of overseas artists,” Li added.

Along with out of doors music festivals, large-scale concert events might be staged nationwide this yr, led by artists resembling pop icon Jay Chou, pop-rock band Mayday, and pop stars Li Yuchun, Zhang Jie and Xue Zhiqian.

Final month, the Ministry of Tradition and Tourism introduced the resumption of approval for artists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan making use of to carry out on the Chinese language mainland.

Greater than 10 of those artists have introduced plans to carry large-scale concert events on the mainland this yr, the China Affiliation of Performing Arts mentioned.

Earlier than the pandemic emerged, China’s performing arts market attracted many artists from dwelling and overseas. For instance, Taiwan pop-rock band Mayday staged concert events on the Nationwide Stadium, also called the Hen’s Nest, in Beijing each summer season, beginning in 2012. These reveals normally offered out inside minutes of tickets turning into obtainable.

After a protracted break because of the pandemic, the nation’s performing arts market is recovering. Information from on-line platform Damai present that tickets for greater than 1,000 dwell music performances are on sale.

Tickets for pop singer-songwriter Li Ronghao’s concert events in Nanjing on March 25, Wuhan on April 1, and Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, on April 22, offered out inside minutes.

“The tickets for these three stops, involving a complete of 80,000 folks, offered out,” Li mentioned on his Sina Weibo account on Feb 21, expressing gratitude to his followers.

Singer-songwriter Xiaojuan and her band Xiaojuan and Residents from the Valley are as a consequence of tour the nation subsequent month and in Could, visiting 12 cities, together with Chongqing, Changsha, capital of Hunan province, and Zhuhai, Guangdong.

Xiaojuan mentioned: “We tried to attach with our followers by giving on-line performances once we could not tour because of the pandemic. Now, we’re very blissful to return to theaters to carry out for our audiences.”

On Feb 23, Jay Chou introduced he would carry out at three concert events in Haikou from June 30 to July 2. Though tickets have but to go on sale, followers from across the nation have began reserving flights and motels.

Information from journey portal Qunar present that from 6 pm on Feb 23 to midday on Feb 24, searches for flights to Haikou nearly doubled on the platform, whereas these for lodge rooms within the metropolis rose twofold.