Music fest to turn Pinggu into int'l music base
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Avril Lavigne |
It is not normally easy to get to see punk queen Avril Lavigne, electro-pop princess Little Boots and actress-turned-singer Juliette Lewis all at the same time – and in China, to boot – but thanks to the China Music Valley International Festival, they will all appear at Beijing's Pinggu suburb from April 30 to May 1.
Supported by the local government as part of their plan to build Pinggu into "China's Music Valley," the brand new music festival is intended to stand apart from traditional ones, such as Strawberry Festival and Midi Music Festival, with a world-class service and line-up.
Besides the foreign acts, the two-day music festival will also feature Taiwanese pub queen Tiger Wong, F.I.R Band and local names such as Free The Bird.
With investment and support from the government, ticket prices have been kept low, with a one-day pass at 260 yuan ($39.72) and two-day pass at 380 yuan ($58.05), to lure music lovers to the new music base, which is 60 kilometers from downtown Beijing.
The government has put aside 15 billion yuan ($2.29 billion) to build Pinggu, known as the hometown of violin production, into an international music base over the next 10 years, which is expected to bring local and foreign musicians, and music businesses together when finished.
"Then people will have one more place to enjoy their musical life at inexpensive prices. The music festival will promote the construction of the Music Valley as well as the construction of Beijing," Yan Weihong, spokesperson for the Pinggu government, said at the festival's press conference recently.
Guitarist Paul Wong from Beyond, arguably the biggest rock band in Hong Kong history, also appeared at the conference to play a theme song he wrote for the festival.
Performances will start at 2 pm and last until midnight. Over 100 shuttle buses will transfer audiences for the event on both days and the organizer will also prepare local food and beverages for festivalgoers.
For people who want to stay over, the choices include local hotels, family inns, and a large camping area inside the festival venue at Beijing Yuyang International Ski Resort.
Although detailed schedules are still to be arranged, Li Danyang, head of the organizer Guehua Live Nation, told the Global Times after the press conference that Lavigne will perform with her band around 9:30 pm on April 30 for one and a half hours.
"Like international festivals, we have two stages to take turns to perform and prepare. We are pushing the edge to offer the best quality and sound that's close to the effect from a CD, just like at The Eagles' concert we held."
Gehua Live Nation has a pedigree of organizing quality concerts, and international event in China, with highlights from its past including Kylie Minogue, Kanye West, The Eagles last month and Bob Dylan last week.
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