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Hong Kong has long prided itself on being a city that knows how to put on a show. Yet the abrupt end to the 25+ Emperor Entertainment Group Family Concert at Kai Tak Stadium last Monday night has raised an awkward question for a city eager to brand itself as a mega-event hub: is the world-class concert destination operating with a school-night bedtime?

The second night of the concert on May 4 featured a heavyweight Emperor Entertainment line-up, including Joey Yung, Leo Ku, Hacken Lee, Twins, Gin Lee, Kenny Kwan, Ken Hung and Vincy Chan. But the night’s most anticipated return was Nicholas Tse, who had flown back to Hong Kong after his Chengdu concert.

Then came the anticlimax. Tse performed the last song Jade Butterfly, bowed and left the stage at around 10.20pm. Despite the audience chanting for an encore, no one returned. A medley reportedly listed in a pre-circulated rundown did not materialise. The concert ended at around 10.22pm, more than half an hour earlier than the previous night.

Emperor Entertainment later said the song list received by reporters was only a preliminary version. Tse, it said, had returned from Chengdu only that morning and had been unable to attend rehearsal, so he decided on a different song list.

That may explain Tse’s shortened appearance. It does not, however, answer the wider question now circulating among concertgoers: did Kai Tak Stadium’s operating arrangements play any role in the early finish?