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The sold-out Re-Tros concert at Mercedes-Benz Arena was the biggest rock show in China since the coronavirus pandemic began
By IQ on 01 Jun 2021
10,000 people attended the sold-out show
Chinese post-punk band Re-Tros made history on Saturday 22 May with the biggest rock show in China since the beginning of 2020.
The sold-out concert, promoted by Live Nation, saw Re-Tros (Rebuilding the Rights of Statues) performing to 10,000 people at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai. The production centred on a unique triangular stage that reflected the band’s logo, with the two-hour show also divided into three parts or ‘chapters’.
The band, who formed during the Chinese indie-rock renaissance of the mid-2000s, played some of their biggest hits, including ‘Momentarily Out of Mind’, ‘Pigs in the River’, ‘Billy Cannot Stop’ and ‘My Great Location’, closing with ‘Sounds for Celebration’.
“The show tonight was just a beginning for … all of us who are here for the return to live”
Edward Liu, managing director of Live Nation China, says: “Like the closing song itself, the show was a momentous celebration of sound, and there is no greater joy than that of live music and seeing fans connect with their favourite artists.
“It’s been four years since the last time we saw Re-Tros on stage for a headline show and tonight was and unprecedented, ingenious and a spectacular display of Chinese rock music that will go down in history. The show tonight was just a beginning for Re-Tros and all of us who are here for the return to live.”
As of 31 May, China – where Covid-19 originated – had just 14 new cases of the coronavirus.
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