Peter Gabriel has cancelled his upcoming performance at the 150th anniversary of the Melbourne Cup citing “scheduling issues.” At least that’s the official line. However the folks at Undercover Music are claiming that poor ticket sales are really behind the decision.
We’ve seen this kind of thing time and time again, and frankly I’m tired of it. It shows no respect for the fans that were keen enough to buy the tickets. If you’re not going to earn a big enough slice of pie for the trip, suck it up. I know Australia is a long way for these performers to come, but it should never be contingent on how full the venues are going to get.
To promoter Andrew McManus’ credit, he’s going ahead with the gig anyway. Brian Wilson will step in as the headliner to play alongside Daryl Braithwaite, Blue King Brown, Danielle Spencer, and Kate Ceberano. At least you can count on the Aussies, although I’m sure that’s cold comfort for those Peter Gabriel fans out there.