Abrupt cancellation of concert shocks fans

Abrupt cancellation of concert shocks fans

SINGAPORE - Concertgoers were shocked by the abrupt cancellation of the Singha Presents 1 World Music Festival last night - two days before it was to take place.

The two-day event was due to be held at Marina Barrage tomorrow and on Saturday as a fringe event outside the official Formula One circuit.

It was being organised by Retfar Entertainment, a newcomer in the live events industry here.

The star-studded line-up included club-friendly acts such as hip hop group Far East Movement, electronic music veteran Moby and rapper Snoop Dogg. It also featured local and regional acts such as Thailand's Bangkok Invaders and Singapore Idol Sezairi Sezali, with tickets starting from $118.

In a brief statement issued at 8.20pm yesterday, the organisers said it was with "much regret" that the event had to be called off "due to unforeseen circumstances". They also apologised for the "unfortunate conclusion", adding that refunds will be made via ticketing agents starting from Sept 25. The organisers could not be reached for comment.

Gig fans demanded an explanation. Account manager Ana Dhoraisingam said: "Most cancellations tend to happen a lot earlier than 48 hours, because the organisers should have figured out that they can't fly the artistes in or sell enough tickets."

Writer Anjali Raguraman, 24, said: "This is ridiculous. This comes across as really unprofessional."

waltsim@sph.com.sg


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