PETALING JAYA: Cantopop superstar Samuel Hui is Hong Kong’s proletarian hero of the 1970s and 80s. His colloquial lyrics resonated among the working masses, capturing perfectly their frustrations whilst giving them the opportunity to laugh at themselves.

When Hui retired from the entertainment industry in 1992, he left a void in Cantopop that remains unfilled to this day. Few thought he would return. But he did.

With the SARS gloom and deaths of Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui and Roman Tam casting a pall over Hong Kong, Hui felt his homeland needed cheering up. On June 5, he kicked off his 10-night Sam Hui Keep Smiling concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

Now, Hui is planning to bring some cheer to Malaysians. Sam Hui Live in Malaysia 2005 will be held at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Feb 19. It will be Hui’s first concert here.

As the KL concert is an exclusive date, fans outside Hong Kong and China will have to make their way to Malaysian shores to catch the Godfather of Cantopop in action. It is a coup for Galaxy Production which is targeting a massive turnout of 70,000.

It took six months of negotiation and a deal which includes a whopping HK$5mil (RM2.4mil) performance fee. Hui will be travelling with a 120-strong entourage and crew.

“This is a dream project for us as it is Hui’s first-ever concert in Malaysia. We hope to make this a record-breaking performance in terms of crowd capacity. That is why we got Sam to agree to hold it during the Chinese New Year festival so that the Chinese community in the region can come to Malaysia to witness this spectacular event,” said Galaxy Production managing director Alan Chan in a press release.

Ticket prices and other details will be announced over the next few weeks. For more information, contact Galaxy Production at 03-2282 2020 or e-mail info@galaxy.com.my.