Missing The Big Gigs

I know neither HCM City nor Hà Nội will be on the next Oasis tour, and I’m not expecting the Arctic Monkeys to jet in anytime soon.

By AF Reeves - @afreeves23

I miss the big gigs. Just over a week after my jaunt to Tokyo, with the sound of Oasis still ringing in my ears, it is possibly an unfair time to write this. It may also feel a little unfair on local artists who graft and put on great shows, and on those in the industry who’ve already successfully brought international acts to Việt Nam. I don’t intend to sound unappreciative. I just want to start a conversation.

Back in the UK, gigs and festivals were a big part of my life. I covered the country and booked holidays off to get my fix. Like travel and football, they were the things I worked hard to afford, my respite from the mundanity of working life. The little X on the calendar that made the tougher weeks easier and I’m grateful to the Loud Minority crew for bringing over the likes of Jack White and Frank Turner in recent years and giving me that feeling back.

I’m excited for whatever the music scene in Việt Nam conjures up next, and I’ll support it with my time and money. I’ve put up posters, handed out flyers, even worked the door. I’ve written in support of the local scene in Hà Nội and events such as last Friday’s multi-artist Halloween special at Outpost will always pack a punch. But still, I miss the big gigs.

What even is a 'big gig'? Was Blackpink not a big gig? Hard to say. Alicia Keys is coming to town, but I know neither HCM City nor Hà Nội will be on the next Oasis tour, and I’m not expecting the Arctic Monkeys to jet in anytime soon. More likely, the artists I follow, the ones that make me viscerally excited, just don’t have Việt Nam on their radar, and they’re not on the average Vietnamese fan’s radar either. That, it seems, is a lethal combination for my hopes of seeing larger, predominantly Western acts play in my adopted homeland.

My question, why? If Seoul and Tokyo can command these tours and have the fan bases to sell out arenas over multiple nights, why not Việt Nam too? The answer’s surely multifaceted: history, distance, stature, venues, politics and more but I’d genuinely like to hear from both fans and those within the industry. In fact, if this piece can be a platform for context, corrections or counterpoints, even pointing out the narrowness of my perspective, I invite it.

I’m sure all of these aspects paint a broader picture. My thoughts? That interest is patchy among local fans and, disappointingly, in the expat crowd too. I remember being surprised and a tad disappointed to see tickets for Jack White’s last HCM City show still available, despite knowing fans of his who didn’t attend. Their reasons, I’m sure valid, but still potentially contributory to the wider issue. 

Am I out of touch on this one? Will we ever see a steadier stream of recognisable names here? Definitely, maybe?