Andrea Bocelli fans demand compensation after cancellation of NIA concert
FURIOUS Andrea Bocelli fans are demanding compensation for money they spent travelling to a concert which was cancelled at the last minute.
The Birmingham Mail has been inundated by disappointed fans, some of whom had shelled out hundreds of pounds to see the Italian tenor perform at the National Indoor Arena on Sunday – only to be told it was off at 7.30pm, the time it was due to start.
The blind singer, who has recorded a string of chart-topping albums, was said to be ‘devastated’ at the cancellation which was due to a throat infection. But his devastation is unlikely to equal that of fans who had travelled across the country to see the singer perform one of only four UK concerts this year.
And many fans have contacted promoters Kilimanjaro and Harvey Goldsmith asking for compensation.
Fans Neil Chesterson and his wife Kathleen drove a 265-mile round trip from Morpeth in Northumberland and spent two nights in a Birmingham hotel. The concert tickets were a birthday present for Neil who turned 52 on Friday.
“We spent £147 on tickets and another £250 on the round trip, hotel and meals,” he says. “I was so looking forward to it and was gutted when they told us it was cancelled.
“We are not rich people, but we saved for that. Now if we want to come back again we have to pay all that again.”
Mr Chesterson has contacted Harvey Goldsmith’s office asking for a contribution to his costs but it awaiting their response.
“Andrea Bocelli and Harvey Goldsmith are wealthy but I don’t see how we can afford to come back again,” he said. “We have asked them for the cost of the train fare, which is £105.”
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