Blondie cancels Marquee gig at last minute

MULTI-million album selling rock band Blondie have left thousands of Irish fans hanging by the telephone after scrapping plans for a live gig in Cork just hours before tickets went on sale.

In a statement, Aitken Promotions confirmed that due to a change of dates in the group’s other European gigs the Debbie Harry- fronted group has been forced to cancel its appearance in Ireland.

Tickets for the highlyanticipated event were initially due to go on sale on February 25, before being delayed until yesterday due to ongoing discussions with the group. However, just hours before fans were due to flood ticket phonelines, organisers Aitken Promotions confirmed the band has been cancelled.

The US band, which has sold more than 30 million albums since it came to prominence in the late 1970s, was due to open this year’s Live at the Marquee festival in Cork on June 17.

“We’ve contacted their management and they said that because the tour dates have been changed Blondie won’t be appearing at the Marquee.

“The Marquee is a summer-months location and the tour dates have been changed to around October time, so they won’t be able to attend,” said the spokesperson.

Despite the disappointing news, Aitken Promotions believes the upcoming festival in the Marquee will be an attractive proposition.

After Blondie’s cancellation, techno-punk band The Prodigy are set to perform an altogether different opening night on June 18, with two further headline acts due to be named in the coming weeks, bringing the number of bands at this summer’s festival to 17.

Further concerts include Simple Minds, James Taylor, Anastacia, and Crosby, Stills and Nash. The latest addition to the lineup was announced last week with R&B singer Ne-Yo set to perform on July 6.

An Aiken spokeswoman said the promoters wish to apologise for any inconvenience caused by the cancellation of Blondie’s concert.

This year’s Live at the Marquee series runs from June 18 to July 9.