Istanbul Live Earth Canceled

After trying to stage a scaled-down version of the event, the organizers of Istanbul’s Live Earth have canceled the show, claiming there’s a lack of support from the government and little interest from sponsors.

The July 7th show scheduled for the city’s ancient Byzantine Yedikule Fortress (seven towers) has already been downgraded from the larger Kurecesme Arena.

Some local newspaper reports are saying it may still go ahead, but the Turkish Daily News reported the show "dead in its tracks."

The show organizers, Purple Concerts, which legendary European promoter Marcel Avram set up with Alan Cattanach and Cengzihan Yeldan after he split with Peter Schwenkow’s German-based DEAG nearly two years ago, weren’t available for comment at press time.

"Sponsorship and state support is zero. Nobody is interested," Yeldan told the paper as his company was still preparing to put some sort of show together.

It has conceded that there isn’t time to put the bill together and the Turkish leg of the global event will consist of large screens showing the concerts from the other cities taking part.

Purple Concerts said the government is too preoccupied with the July 22nd elections and the fear of terrorist attacks to get properly involved with Live Earth.

Avram’s company had contacted former U.S. Vice President Al Gore – who’s driving the nine shows scheduled for July 7th – to write to Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ask for more support, but that approach looks to have been abandoned.

Gore visited Turkey for a June 12th press conference at Istanbul’s Cirgan Palace to kick-start the Turkish leg of the global shows.

Apart from Istanbul, the July 7th shows are slated for New York, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Johannesburg, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro and Hamburg. Live Nation is promoting the shows in New York, London, Shanghai and Hamburg.