For its second year birthday blowout, the Venetian is straying from the low-key nature of its first anniversary by hauling out the biggest names in the Asian pop scene – Sun Nan, Eason Chan, Joey Yung, Leo Koo and Show Luo are all set to perform at a special show. The pop star-studded event is likely to shimmer with flashy lighting and heart-felt ballads filling the 15,000-seat CotaiArena. And the Venetian has much to celebrate.

Anachronisms abound in the 980,000sqm space: gondoliers from Asia, neon blue indoor canals, and Renaissance architecture meets jeans stores. Yet it’s this kind of deliberately playful vibe that has made this easily accessible destination a vacation choice for many Hongkongers.

But the millions who have passed through its doors in the last two years have also come for the decked-out, over-the-top performances by internationally recognised icons. In October 2007, The Venetian hosted its first mega-star group, The Black Eyed Peas, closely followed in November by silver-dress wearing R&B diva Beyonce, whose performance was nothing less than Sasha Fierce. Then in 2008, The Police stopped by on their reunion tour, while Jay Chou, donning an ostentatious feathered costume, made Mando-pop tweens squeal with glee. The Arena has also hosted a number of notable sports events, hosting the World Muay Thai Championships, Tennis Showdown 2008 featuring Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, and the 2008 USA Basketball team, who took on Lithuania and Turkey.

As for the second anniversary show line-up, the stars only continue the CotaiArena’s tradition of pumping out glam events. Eason Chan, probably the most famous of the bunch, is currently finishing up his Moving On Stage World Tour with his final concert in Malaysia. The successful Cantopop-Mandopop crossover artist has been in the industry for 14 years, and is still pumping out hits CDs, such as his most recent album H3M, released in March of 2009. As for the other heirs of pop royalty in the 2nd Anniversary line-up, they too are just finishing recent tours and album releases. Joey Yung, the nominal ‘Pop Queen’, just wrapped up her light-themed Starlight World Tour – her biggest concert series to date. Meanwhile, Leo Koo released his most recent album in April 2009. Following up on Guitar Fever, Strings Fever is half made up of songs solely devoted to instrumental acoustics. Lovers of light beats and romantic serenades, prepare to indulge.

Ethan Wong

CotaiArena, Friday 28