The Jennifer Lopez, or “J.Lo”, concert that took place in Tashkent back on August 7 will be remembered as the first musical spectacular performed by an “AAA list” world star in the Uzbek capital.

What’s more, officials say the show, part of J.Lo’s Up All Night – Live in 2025 world tour, delivered significant tourism and tax revenue gains to the city, according to Gazeta.uz, citing Uzbekistan’s Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art.

Total tax revenue from the event reached UZS 42.5bn ($3.3mn). 

The event, held at Milliy Stadium,  drew an audience of more than 31,000 people. 

Of the tickets sold, 67% went to foreign visitors, meaning 15,330 international tourists poured into Tashkent. They included 8,945 Russians, 2,495 Kazakhs and guests from the US and Europe.

Ticket prices ranged from UZS 1mn to 4.2mn ($80–$330). 

Officials said no state funds were used to put on the concert.

In relation to the big date, hotels in Tashkent saw occupancy rise 25.7% and the Chilanzar metro line carried 16,500 extra passengers. 

More than 115 entities, 18 food courts, 88 patrol units, eight ambulances, 3,800 law enforcement officers, 300 volunteers and 500 cleanup workers were involved in ensuring a successful event.

“The concert was a powerful stimulus for attracting foreign and local tourists, as well as for the hotel and restaurant business,” the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art said.

The foundation said that the concert was more organised and orderly than previous major events, helping to showcase Uzbekistan’s potential for world-class entertainment and event tourism.

The high-profile concert also sparked debate on social norms in Uzbekistan. 

Alisher Kadyrov, leader of the Milliy Tiklanish party, compared public tolerance for Lopez’s stage performance with the treatment of religious women who choose to cover themselves with attire. In a statement on his official Telegram channel, Kadyrov said: “We have accepted the demonstration of [partial] nakedness as secularism, now let’s accept that the right to cover up should not be infringed upon.”

He acknowledged that the concert was private, subject to ticketing and entirely legal. “Showing her body is her [J.Lo’s] choice, and seeing it is up to those who bought tickets to the event—that’s secularism,” he added. “But the choice of a female compatriot who wants to cover up is also protected by law.”

Kadyrov argued that religious women in Uzbekistan face pressure to remove headscarves in official contexts, such as when making passport applications. 

“Just as we did not teach Lopez how to dress, we should stop teaching our women of faith how to cover up,” he said. “Identification requirements require the face to be uncovered, not the hair.”

He urged the public and authorities to extend the same tolerance shown to the visiting star singer to religious citizens, saying: “Let’s show our religious women the same tolerance we showed Lopez.”