Singer & actor Lee Seung Gi’s first US tour since debut is facing a crisis
On August 30th, Lee Seung Gi held a concert at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta but caused controversy over his insincere fanservice. As a result, the last stops of the US tour, including New York and New Jersey, were canceled.
On September 1st, Hankook Ilbo reported, “Lee Seung Gi’s Atlanta concert was attended by 1,000 audiences at a concert hall with 2,700 seats and three floors. Apart from Koreans, local fans also attended the concert”. That day, Lee Seung Gi performed various rock and ballad songs. He wrapped up the show by singing his famous debut song “Because You’re My Woman”, which was released in 2004.
However, complaints about Lee Seung Gi’s poor fanservice poured out right after the concert.
The media stated, “Lee Seung Gi and his staff unexpectedly canceled their visit to a restaurant run by Koreans who sponsored his concert after arriving in Atlanta on August 28th, saying the actor’s condition was not good”.
An official from the company that was in charge of Lee Seung Gi’s Atlanta concert said, “He did not show up due to special health reasons”, adding “That day, we were suddenly notified that Lee Seung Gi and staff could not visit the sponsor restaurant. When they arrived at the reserved hotel, Lee Seung Gi did not get out of the car then they moved to a different hotel without giving any explanation”. They added, “We felt embarrassed receiving complaints from the sponsors due to the unilaterally changed schedules. We sincerely apologize to the restaurant owners who sponsored this concert.”
A restaurant owner said, “Lee Seung Gi canceled his visit so fans were very disappointed”, adding “I wonder if Lee Seung Gi only used ‘health condition’ as an excuse”.
Lee Seung Gi also canceled his show in New York scheduled for the 2nd. His agency Human Made explained that it was due to “circumstances related to the local concert hall”. However, many people speculated that it was due to poor ticket sales.
In online communities, netizens expressed frustration, saying “I was surprised to see so many empty seats at the concert”, “There were so many invitation tickets for his concert”, “There are not many Korean companies to sponsor Korean singers in Atlanta, so sponsorship often comes from local restaurants and stores. They must have felt so embarrassed when he suddenly canceled the schedule”, etc.
Source: Nate
