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JAKARTA : An Indonesian promoter has threatened to sue the management of US hip hop group N.E.R.D for cancelling a show in Jakarta just hours before they were scheduled to perform.
N.E.R.D were set to play in the Indonesian capital on Sunday but called off the gig after they ran into trouble with the law in Malaysia a day earlier.
According to local promoters, Java Festival Production, the last minute cancellation was due to the band’s fear that they would run into similar problems with Indonesian police.
N.E.R.D were questioned by authorities after their performance in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday and immigration department officials took statements from the trio as they had not received official permission to perform there. Prior to their gig in Malaysia, N.E.R.D perfromed in Singapore on Friday as part of the Mosaic Music Festival.
"We are going to file a lawsuit against N.E.R.D.'s management for their unilateral decision to cancel," said Java Festival Production spokesman Rezanda Tamaputra.
"They have to pay all the costs we incurred over this cancellation."
Some 3,000 tickets were sold for the concert. All ticket holders will be reimbursed within this week.
"N.E.R.D. cancelled their show in Jakarta because the band members were afraid to come to Indonesia because of the bad experience they had in Malaysia," Java Festival said in a statement.
"N.E.R.D. were very depressed about being threatened with detention for up to two weeks. This has never happened before in the music industry."
"Shortly after the show finished all the band's passports were confiscated. This is a very bad precedent."
The cancellation of the concert comes as a big disappointment to their fans in Jakarta. On The Jakarta Post, one of the country’s newspaper websites, someone who identified himself as a Malaysian reader left a comment apologising to N.E.R.D fans on behalf on his country.
"Things like this have a knock-on effect on everything else. Makes our country and our region look like a bunch of AK-47-waving lunatics to the world community," read the post.
"On behalf of all Malaysians, I'd like to say sorry to all N.E.R.D. fans, good Malaysians, good Indonesians and the poor concert organiser in Jakarta who's probably now bankrupt... because of the stupidity we tolerate."
This is not the first time big acts have cancelled gigs in Jakarta. R&B star Rihanna postponed her Jakarta concert twice. Her first gig in November last year was cancelled due to security concerns, and her February show was postponed after she was assaulted by boyfriend Chris Brown.
- CNA/ap
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