Hong Kong – Cantopop legend Alan Tam brought what he called “possibly the final” concert of his career to a tearful close on Sunday night, only to be persuaded by superstar fans Andy Lau and Hacken Lee to reconsider his goodbye. The 74-year-old singer performed the last show of his “Unforgettable” world tour at the Hong Kong Coliseum, leaving the stage with a promise that the end may not be forever.
Tam opened the evening with “Pride” and “Maggie,” but quickly addressed the audience with visible emotion. “You have spent so many nights laughing and crying with me, giving me your full support. I am so grateful,” he said in a heartfelt speech. Reflecting on more than five decades in the music industry—starting with his band The Wynners—Tam likened fans’ devotion to watering a flower. “I have seen fans come with schoolbags, then with walking canes, and even in wheelchairs, bringing multiple generations with them. That love has not changed. Thank you.”
The star-studded audience included Andy Lau, Hacken Lee and his wife, Deborah Lee, fellow Wynner Anthony Chan, Zhang Zhilin and wife, Michael Miu and wife, Jordan Chan, Maria Cordero, Natalis Chan and wife, Elaine Jin, Eddie Kwan, Andrew Tang with siblings, Vincent Kok, and Byron Tong.
Midway through the show, Tam invited Lau and Lee to join him for a duet of his new song “I Care.” As Tam’s voice broke with emotion, Lau wiped tears behind his hand. Speaking to the crowd, Lau pleaded, “On behalf of all the fans here, I beg you to keep singing. I care, and everyone here cares.” Lee added, “I have so many feelings. Alan’s songs raised me. I had his photo by my bed as a child; I fell asleep looking at it. Later I was lucky enough to hold concerts with him.”
Tam recalled writing Lau’s first-ever single, “Rainy Night,” years ago. “Back then, manager张国忠 told me to push him into acting because he had 22 film contracts waiting. I told Andy, ‘If you want to keep singing, you have to work harder than me.’ I never imagined he would work that much harder.”
Lau then challenged Tam directly from the stage. “Why do you say it’s your last? Try harder and see when you can beat me?” Tam replied with a grin, “Did I say it was my last?” Lee jumped in, “It was just talk, right? Since it’s over, let’s start again.” Lau added, “This is just a ceremony. Next year, bring out another flower and water it again.”
During the performance, Lau repeatedly embraced Tam, promising to pay any overtime fines if Tam agreed to continue performing at the Coliseum. As the show neared its end, Tam sang his final song, “Hard to Say Goodbye,” with tears streaming down his face. “I will remember this moment forever,” he told the crowd.
The concert capped a series that Tam had promoted as “very likely the last” in the iconic venue. While he stopped short of a definitive retirement announcement, the evening’s emotional exchanges—and Lau’s public lobbying—suggest the Cantopop icon may yet return to the stage. Fans left the venue hopeful, trading messages about what they called “not a goodbye, but a see-you-later.”
