BY NATASHA BARSOTTI – Pop megastar Lady Gaga has cancelled her June 3 Born This Way Ball in Indonesia in the face of threats of “chaos.”
An Associated Press (AP) report says the group, Islamic Defenders Front, labelled Gaga a “messenger of the devil” and threatened to show up at the airport if she got off her flight. The report notes that opponents of the sold-out Jakarta concert said they bought tickets just to gain entry into the show’s 50,000-seat venue to instigate trouble. The police then denied the requisite permits for the show; they partially reneged after public outcry but wanted Gaga to tone down her performance.
Instead, Mother Monster decided to give Indonesia a pass but promised disappointed fans she’d “try to put together something special” for them. “My love for Indonesia has only grown,” she tweeted.
A lawyer for Big Daddy, the Born This Way Ball promoter, told media that the concert’s cancellation was “unfortunate.”
“This is not only about Lady Gaga’s security but extends to those who will be watching her,” Minola Sebayang said.
This is not the first hiccough Gaga’s Asian tour has confronted. In the Philippines, scores of young Christians rallied against the singer’s concert, with the authorities promising they wouldn’t allow nudity or lewd behaviour, AP reported. And in Seoul, South Korea, fans younger than 18 were barred from attending Gaga’s concerts after complaints that her songs and costuming were “too sexually provocative,” AP noted.
Why you can trust Xtra
