Lady Gaga Cancels Indonesian Concert
Indonesian fans might not have been for this disappointment.
Lady Gaga is set to cancel her sold-out show in Indonesia after authorities denied her performance permit. Indonesian police raised concerns regarding her sexy clothes and dance moves, believing it would undermine traditional Islamic values.
Police authorities also worried about the pop artist corrupting the values and sensibilities of the Indonesian youth.
Indonesian national police spokesperson Boy Rafli Amar said the permit for Lady Gaga's "Born This Way Ball" concert slated on June 3 was denied. Jakarta police recommended the issuance of permit denial.
Although Indonesia has a history of religious tolerance, a tide of opposition is slowly rising. Recently, a small conservative group, Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), is becoming more vocal in the nation's governance.
Extremists have staunchly opposed Lady Gaga, criticizing her flamboyant if not almost-lewd demeanor and performances in concerts and films. Some radical members even threatened to use violence to prevent her from getting off the plane and called her a "devil's messenger".
Indonesia is secular country with 240 million people. It has the biggest population of Muslims than any other nation in the world. Although predominantly Islamic, the country is known to be religiously tolerant.
The Jakarta leg is the multi-million dollar pop star's biggest concert in her Asian tour. The concert will be held at the 52,000-seater Gelora Bung Karno stadium. The tickets have sold half of its total volume in the first two hours of the selling period.
The staggering number of tickets sold, however, may be held useless unless the Indonesian authorities rescind the permit denial.
Before the Indonesian leg of her tour, Lady Gaga has previously performed in Hong Kong and South Korea. She is slated to perform next in the Philippines on May 21. Lady Gaga has sold millions of albums worldwide and has earned lots of Grammy awards and nominations.
'Born This Way' is her third album since breaking out as a pop superstar in 2008.