Japanese pop icon Ayumi Hamasaki moved fans across Asia after choosing to perform her entire Shanghai concert in an empty arena, just hours after the show was abruptly cancelled.
The 47-year-old “Queen of J-Pop” had been scheduled to hold her I Am Ayu Tour stop at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre on Nov 29. But the organiser announced the cancellation late on Nov 28, according to the Straits Times.
Hamasaki confirmed the news in an emotional Instagram post, saying she and a 200-member crew had spent five days building the stage.
“However, key staff members were hastily gathered in the morning, and we received a request to cancel the performance,” she wrote, expressing deep regret.
No official explanation was given, though the cancellation follows several recent scrapped appearances by Japanese artists in China. It also came weeks after comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Nov 7 about Japan’s potential existential crisis if Taiwan were to face a military invasion.
Hamasaki avoided political commentary and instead focused on the hard work of her team. She apologised to the roughly 100 Chinese crew members and another 100 dancers, musicians and staff who had flown in from Japan.
She also expressed heartbreak at not being able to face the 14,000 fans who had travelled from China, Japan and beyond for the show.
Determined to honour the effort poured into the production, Hamasaki revealed that on Nov 29 she and her team performed the entire setlist, including the encore, in the empty stadium.
Photos soon circulated online showing Hamasaki singing alone on the fully built stage, with fans outside the arena claiming they could still hear her voice from outside.
Later, the singer uploaded nine images of herself and her dancers on stage, including a confetti-filled final bow, writing: “With 14,000 empty seats, but I felt so much love from TAs all over the world… it was one of the most unforgettable shows ever to me.”
The no-audience show was reportedly filmed, raising hopes that the footage will eventually be shared with her global fanbase.
Meanwhile, fans have begun voicing concerns over whether her next tour stop in Macau, scheduled for Jan 10, will proceed as planned.
