Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung’s “60+ World Tour Concert” in Dongguan, Guangdong, encountered some unexpected twists and turns. Initially scheduled for three shows from June 6th to 8th, the concert had to be rescheduled to August 29th to 31st due to a clash with the Chinese national college entrance examination, or Gaokao, with an exam center nearby. However, on August 31st, during the concert, Cheung experienced hoarseness in his voice halfway through the show, leading him to make the sudden decision to terminate the concert and discuss ticket refunds with the audience.
During the first half of the concert on August 31st in Dongguan, Cheung struggled with hitting high notes and felt unsatisfied with his performance, prompting him to apologize to the audience on stage. He asked the audience, “Should I continue singing?” Despite shouts of encouragement from fans, he decided to stop the concert, offering to coordinate ticket refunds with the organizers for everyone’s sake.
The abrupt announcement of the concert cancellation startled the entire audience. Cheung expressed his frustration, stating, “I hate myself for canceling the concert, this is the second time, the last time was not my fault, I really wanted to sing but couldn’t.”
After speaking, Cheung turned his back to the audience, composed himself momentarily, choked up, and said, “I really want to sing, but I can’t. I will try my best. I don’t know how to end this. I can dance now without a problem, even perform a one-legged stunt for you. But I can’t sing confidently. My voice is hoarse now. I believe you all know how much I love singing, love it to the point of going ‘crazy’!”
The audience cheered him on, and Cheung ultimately decided, “How about this, I’ll continue singing. If I really can’t sing anymore, you can get a refund, okay?” He successfully finished the entire performance. After the concert, wearing a mask, Cheung waved to fans, indicating he would return to Hong Kong for rest and hoped to come back in better shape in the future.
According to his management company, Cheung faced vocal control difficulties during the performance due to a respiratory tract infection. “Out of professional considerations and a sense of responsibility to the audience, after completing the first half of the concert, he truthfully informed that he had uncertainties about maintaining a stable singing level in the second half, especially given the higher difficulty of the songs. He suggested that the audience could opt for ticket refunds and the concert would end for the night.”
Jacky Cheung announced the launch of his “60+ World Tour Concert” in 2023, marking his 10th solo concert tour. Starting from June 9, 2023, Cheung traveled across China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and other regions. Data from Cheung’s fans on social media platforms indicated that the Dongguan concert on August 31st was the 277th show of the entire tour, meaning that Cheung performed 277 shows in 27 months, averaging nearly 10 shows per month.
At 64 years old, Cheung faced consecutive challenges during his “60+” concert tour: two years ago, he experienced Meniere’s disease symptoms and fainted on stage during a concert in Malaysia but thankfully recovered; he had to postpone a concert in Shanghai due to a contracted COVID-19 infection; while performing in Taipei, he suddenly contracted RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and had to reschedule three Taipei Arena shows to the following year, also canceling three Guangzhou concerts due to health issues.
The Dongguan concert was another instance of delay. Initially set for June 6th to 8th this year, it was rescheduled due to coinciding with the 2025 Gaokao on two days and complaints from local parents of exam takers, leading to the decision to postpone by the organizers.