Mayday Photo:  VCG

 
Tickets for concerts by Mandopop band Mayday from the island of Taiwan sold out within seconds on Tuesday. The continuous announcement of concerts shows live performances are making a comeback in Chinese mainland after the ­COVID-19 pandemic, say experts.

Media has reported that Mayday is set to hold six concerts at Beijing's National Stadium from mid-May to early June. Many netizens unable to get tickets took to social media to criticize ticket scalpers and express their frustration.

This is not the first time that music fans have battled with ticket scalpers. Wu Xiaolin, a lawyer from Beijing-based Yingke Law Firm, told the Global Times that real-name ticket purchasing might be a helpful solution. "Making it so people have to scan their face along with their ID card to enter a concert might relieve the rampant behavior of scalpers, but strengthening market supervision from the top cultural authority may be even more important," he said.

"It's unbelievable that I got the ticket … I am super excited and look forward to the live show so that the singers and fans can sing together and have face-to-face interactions," Xia Chunjie, a die-hard fan of Mayday who plans to fly from Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, to Beijing for the concert, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The increasing number of live concerts by bands and performers like Mayday have contributed to closer cultural exchanges between the mainland and the island of Taiwan.

According to the China Association of Performing Arts (CAPA), more than 20 singers have so far announced solo concerts, covering all age groups from performers in their early 20s to their 60s. These artists include performers from the island of Taiwan including Jay Chou, Angela Chang and Wakin Chau.

Pan Yan, secretary-general of the CAPA, said that performance venues are practically fully booked in some ­lower-tier cities, and the overall number of huge shows such as concerts in 2023 is likely to exceed that of 2019.

Zhang Yiming, head of a cultural communication company that has previously organized a Mayday concert, said in an interview that in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic storm, both artists and performance companies are acting more sincere when it comes to concerts. 

"Fans are very smart and enthusiastic as they will check relevant information on official websites. Sometimes I haven't been notified of a certain concert, and they already know that it has been approved. I think performance companies should treat fans and consumers like a close friend," he said.