Judas Priest 'very upset' debut South African gigs have been axed
Judas Priest have released a statement expressing their disappointment that their first ever shows in South Africa have been cancelled.
The heavy metal torchbearers were due to play the Grand Arena in Cape Town on Wednesday 20th March and Johannesburg Ticketpro Dome on Friday 22nd March following their upcoming tour dates in Australia and New Zealand.
However, Judas Priest released a statement this morning saying their inaugural South African shows have been axed “because of logistical and technical reasons” that are “totally beyond our control”.
Saying they’ve always honoured their touring commitments throughout their distinguished half-Century career, the band said they are “very upset” and “disappointed” about the cancellation.
The full statement reads: “Due to circumstances totally beyond our control we are extremely sorry to have to announce that because of logistical and technical reasons the South African shows have been cancelled - we are very disappointed that this has happened as we were looking forward to performing in South Africa for our fans there for the first time - we have been touring the world for nearly 50 years and have always honoured our commitments - we are all very upset about this situation.”
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> Due to circumstances totally beyond our control we are extremely sorry to have to announce that because of logistical and technical reasons the South African shows have been cancelled - we are very disappointed that this has happened as we were looking forward to ..
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> — Judas Priest (@judaspriest) February 13, 2019
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> performing in South Africa for our fans there for the first time - we have been touring the world for nearly 50 years and have always honored our commitments - we are all very upset about this situation.
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> Judas Priest#metalmaniacs #judaspriest #firepower #firepowertour2019
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> — Judas Priest (@judaspriest) February 13, 2019
It's a double blow for Judas Priest after their UK and European shows with Ozzy Osbourne were postponed last month due to Ozzy suffering from flu and bronchitis.
Ozzy has vowed to honour the postponed shows and they are being rescheduled to begin in September.
In other Judas Priest news, the band are nominated in two categories at The Rocks 2019 – Best British Band and Best British Album for ‘Firepower’.
The Rocks is Planet Rock’s response to a certain British awards ceremony that frequently overlooking our beloved genre of rock. You can see the full list of nominees right here.
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