An important facet of popular music in Papua New Guinea is public performance
at cultural shows, which provide opportunities for musicians to develop
occupational skills, sell their recordings, and reach large and diverse audiences.
Cultural shows are also opportunities for the celebration of society, and sites for
sociocultural and political contestation. This article explores the 1996 Port
Moresby Show in Papua New Guinea as an example of a cultural show that featured
popular music but also intermittently included mayhem, violence that
threatened at times to endanger musicians and members of the audience and
overwhelm the music. The description and analysis provide a case study of the
multifaceted uses and functions of music in cultural shows and celebrations of
society in Papua New Guinea, the perspectives of musicians on the violence that
occurred at the 1996 Port Moresby Show, and the nature of the public discourse
about the moral panic that resulted
