U.S. pop star Rihanna's Jakarta concert has been canceled for security reasons, the event promoter said Thursday.
"I talked to her tour managers in Singapore yesterday (Wednesday) and they insisted on postponing the concert," promoter Willy Hidayat told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview.
He said he was told by Rihanna's management team Tuesday that they had become concerned about security in Jakarta after the Australian government updated its travel warning on Indonesia following the executions of the three Bali bombers on Sunday.
The Grammy Award-winning singer, whose popular hits include "Umbrella", "Take A Bow", "Hate That I Love You" and "Don't Stop the Music", performed in Australia before leaving for Singapore. She was then scheduled to continue her tour in Jakarta.
"I have tried to convince them that Jakarta is safe and we will provide tight security but they said they could not ignore the warning," said the promoter, who successfully brought U.S. punk rock band Sum 41 to Jakarta in May.
The concert is expected to be postponed until early next year.
"We are still hoping that we can bring her here," Willy said.
Laborious and costly preparations were underway for Friday's concert, including the rental of a private jet to bring Rihanna from Singapore, along with a security unit on par with those used to escort state officials.
The cancellation of the concert is likely to mean losses worth billions of rupiah, but Willy declined to reveal the amount.
"The tickets were sold out," he said, adding that all customers would be eligible for a full refund.
About 6,000 tickets, priced between Rp 750,000 (US$68) and Rp 2.5 million, had been sold.
Rihanna is the first artist to cancel a concert in Jakarta this year for security reasons.
Last month, U.S. jazz singer Diana Krall, R&B singer Ashanti and rapper Akon performed in Jakarta, under the sponsorship of Java Jazz Production.
