Morrissey canceled his scheduled concert in Valencia, Spain, at almost the last minute on Thursday evening.
According to a statement posted on the former Smiths frontman’s official website, the singer arrived at his Valencia hotel late Wednesday night after a two-day drive from Milan.
The singer was unable to sleep due to festival noise, loud music, and announcements over a megaphone, leaving him in a “catatonic state,” the statement read, emphasizing that the concert wasn’t canceled, but made “impossible by the circumstances.”
The website quoted the musician describing his hotel in the historic city center as:
An indescribable hell. It will take a year to recover. And that’s a mild expression.
Valencia was to be Morrissey’s first-ever performance in Spain on his European tour promoting the new album, Make-up is a Lie. Tickets for the concert sold out within minutes of going on sale months ago. The tour is scheduled to continue in Zaragoza and Seville in the coming days.
Las Fallas is the most famous festival in the eastern Spanish city and is part of UNESCO’s cultural heritage. Notable features include daily pyrotechnic displays, fireworks, and an open-air exhibition of enormous, satirical figures that culminate in the burning of the sculptures. The event attracts around one million people, including many foreign tourists. This cancellation highlights the challenges artists face when performing in cities known for vibrant, and sometimes disruptive, cultural events.
Nyitókép: Alessandro Bremec / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP
