Features
Depeche On Hold
Live Nation Poland announced the cancellation May 20, followed by the band’s Web site confirming the two others had been scrapped – May 25 in Riga, promoted by Baltic Development Group, and a Makroconcerts show May 27 at Vilnius Zalgirio Stadium in Lithuania.
A spokesman for Sensible Events, the Live Nation-owned agency that produces the act’s global tours, said there will be an announcement on future shows as soon as a decision has been made.
The three new cancellations join a list that already includes Greece, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia
“The cancellations come as a major blow starting with only the second show of Depeche Mode’s sellout, 36-date European stadium tour, with ticket sales to date of more than 1.4 million,” Sensible Events chief Andrew Zweck told Pollstar shortly after the seven shows in The Balkans had been pulled.
All ticketholders are being asked to be patient and wait to see which of the shows can be rescheduled.
Gahan’s illness, which is said to be a strain of gastroenteritis, is more serious than first thought and came after the May 10 opening night in Israel attracted 50,000 fans to Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan Stadium.
Greek promoter Didi Music hoped Gahan would recover within 24 hours and the canceled May 12 show could be rescheduled for the following day, but Gahan’s condition didn’t allow it and he’s now been sidelined for more than a week.
A representative for promoter Shuki Weiss, who co-produced the Tel Aviv show with German promoter Marek Lieberberg, said it had been such a success that it may help attract more acts to what’s been a troubled region.
The band opted to start the tour in Israel in recognition of their decision to cancel a 2006 Tel Aviv show, which was to be the final date of the European tour, because of major conflict on the border with Lebanon.
After London, the tour was set to continue to Holland’s Pinkpop Festival May 31, the event’s 40th anniversary, and then on to Germany for more shows with Lieberberg at Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.