The upcoming event marks the artist’s second show in Vietnam, a return eight years after his first performance in 2015.
Landing at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport on Sunday night, he is set to meet the press on Monday ahead of his performance.
According to the event organizers, the artist sent a 60-page requirement list to them prior to his arrival, in which he specifically asked to have traditional dish bun cha (rice noodles with grilled pork) during his stay.
“He [Kenny G] tried bun cha when he visited Vietnam for his previous performance ,” Nguyen Thuy Duong, the “Good Morning Vietnam” concert’s executive producer, said.
“He was impressed and wants to try it again.”
Other details in the list included his specific needs regarding his schedules and technical requirements for the sound system and stage setup.
Accompanying Kenny G are his six-member band and 10-member entourage.
The whole team is staying at a five-star hotel in Hanoi, with each member of the team having a separate room. A presidential suite that costs thousands of dollars has been booked for the saxophonist.
Duong (R) and other members in the board of organizers welcomed the artist and his team at the airport.
An English-speaking driver is in charge of taking care of Kenny G and his team’s trips durring their time in Vietnam.
The artist’s schedule is kept confidential.
Duong said he had to travel to Japan half a year ago to buy or rent equipment based on the saxophonist’s requirements.
It reportedly cost the event organizers hundreds of thousands of dollars to prepare the equipment.
The artist’s manager will check if everything is done exactly to his standards, which are to guarantee the best quality of his performance, ahead of the show.
The event organizers said Kenny G has total control of his setlist. He will perform the rearranged versions of many of his iconic tracks including “Going Home,” “The Joy of Life,” and “By the Time This Night is Over.”
The artist has revealed that he may perform a smooth jazz version of a Vietnamese traditional folk song as well. However, he has not shared which song he has chosen.
He will also give the event organizers one of his saxophones for charity auction purposes after knowing that revenues from ticket sales will be donated to charity funds.
Born Kenneth Bruce Gorelick, Kenny G, 67, started playing the saxophone aged 10.
He began his professional music career as an orchestra sideman at age 17 and debuted as a solo artist aged 26.
With 75 million records sold globally, Kenny G is one of the best-selling artists of all time.
