BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): Fans snap up concert tickets after legendary Thai rock band Carabao announces it is breaking up next year
Tickets for the anniversary concert of legendary “songs for life” rock band Carabao were sold out just a day after lead vocalist Yuenyong “Add Carabao” Opakul announced the band was disbanding next year.
Carabao announced on Facebook on Wednesday (Oct 11) that tickets for its 40th-anniversary concert on Nov 11 at Impact Arena in Muang Thong had been sold out.
The page also warned fans to be careful when buying tickets from others, especially scalpers.
Yuenyong announced on Tuesday that he will dissolve his band after it performs its last concert on April 1, 2024.
He explained that the band is dissolving because band members are now old and some have developed chronic illnesses. However, he said, he will continue composing songs with new-generation musicians.
Apart from becoming an iconic rocker, Yuenyong is also a successful businessman, making and selling energy drinks under the Carabao brand.
The brand is so successful that it became the main sponsor of England’s Football League Cup in 2017. The sponsorship deal was originally for three years but has been extended several times and is now in place until 2024.
Carabao the band was formed in 1980 by Yuenyong (Aed) and Kirati Promsaka Na Sakon Nakhon (Keo or Khiao), who met while studying at Mapúa Institute of Technology in the Philippines. The word carabao means "buffalo" in Tagalog and is considered a symbol of fighting, hard work and patience.
Carabao's songs often tackle social and political issues, demanding social justice and supporting the causes of the ordinary Thai people, but they have also created love songs and more philosophical songs with greater universal themes.
Carabao has released over 29 albums and sold over 25 million copies worldwide. They are one of the most successful bands in Thai history and are considered to be national icons.
