Hong Kong singer Alan Tam, 74, recently had to abruptly cancel his concert in Huizhou, Guangdong, during his tour in mainland China. This unexpected cancellation left many audience members frustrated, questioning the sudden notice just hours before the scheduled performance. Some even expressed their discontent, feeling that they were being treated as fools. Despite the disappointment, Tam later appeared in a weary state in a video on Weibo, explaining his health condition.
On November 23, several netizens shared posts stating that they received a notification from the ticketing platform informing them of the cancellation of the “Alan Tam Classic Legend Tour Concert” in Huizhou on the evening of November 23. The announcement cited that the artist had caught a cold with a sore throat, leading to the postponement of the concert to April next year. Consumers were given the option to retain their tickets for the rescheduled event in April or request a refund through the platform.
Due to his illness, Alan Tam recorded a short video to apologize to his fans. In the video, looking visibly unwell with a hoarse voice and constant coughing, he explained that during his performance in Quzhou, Zhejiang last week, the sudden drop in temperature and strong winds caused him to catch a cold. Despite severe coughing during the second half of the show, he managed to finish the performance entirely but skipped the celebration afterwards.
After returning to Hong Kong, Tam initially felt fine but later started coughing and lost his voice. He sought medical attention, took medication, and received injections. However, on the day of the concert, he revealed that none of the throat remedies he tried had helped, and his condition had not improved. It seemed that his illness was more serious than anticipated.
Expressing regret, Tam said, “I trained my voice as much as I could the night before the show, but despite practicing for over an hour, none of the songs turned out well. While performing is fun, from a professional perspective, I couldn’t meet my own standards, so I hope for your understanding.”
Despite Alan Tam’s personal apology in the video, the sudden cancellation of the concert caught many off guard. Some audience members expressed frustration, with one commenting, “I’ve already arrived in Huizhou, only to be told the concert is canceled. What kind of joke is this?”
While some were understanding, dissatisfaction arose from the announcement’s clause regarding compensation for attendees from outside of Huizhou: “For audiences from outside Huizhou who have applied for a refund (excluding those who choose to keep their tickets, they are not eligible for compensation).” This led to further discontent, with remarks such as, “Alan Tam, I’m truly disappointed in you. An evening concert canceled in the afternoon? Treating people like fools?”; “Just offering refunds? What about my round-trip tickets and accommodation?”; “Isn’t this forcing refunds? If we don’t get a refund, we’re not compensated for travel and hotel expenses?”
In recent times, there have been numerous posts on Chinese social media platforms indicating that people have experienced various illnesses, with some attributing prolonged severe coughing and fevers to possible side effects of the COVID-19 virus or vaccines. Healthcare professionals noted a decrease in the population post-pandemic but highlighted that many individuals in China and those working there remain unaware of self-rescue measures due to the Chinese Communist Party’s suppression of the truth about the pandemic.