Celine Dion concert in Beijing canceled

04/03/2008 5:00 AM, AP


Celine Dion canceled her concert in Beijing due to difficulty securing an appropriate venue, not because she was worried about sandstorms, her Web site said.

The Beijing News reported earlier this week that Dion's outdoor concert April 13 at Beijing's Worker's Stadium was canceled out of fear that sandstorms — which often hit Beijing in the spring — could harm her voice.

A statement posted Wednesday on Dion's Web site said after reviewing the situation it was decided an indoor venue would be more suitable, but one could not be secured in time. The statement denied that sandstorms played a part in the decision.

"I'm really sorry that things couldn't be worked out for the concert in Beijing. I was really looking forward to it," Dion said in the statement.

Dion's April 11 show in Shanghai will go ahead, and the singer will visit Beijing the next day to appear on her friend Yang Lan's TV show, the statement said. The canceled show will be rescheduled, it said.

Local promoter Emma Ticketmaster confirmed that the show had been canceled but did not give a reason.

Dion has rescheduled several shows in Australia and Malaysia over the past week because she has had a respiratory tract infection, her Web site said.

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On the Net: http://www.celinedion.com