New Order faces backlash for proceeding with their Brisbane gig despite significant flooding from ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred
The British synth pop veterans performed Tuesday night as part of their Australian tour at Riverstage on the Brisbane River, with capacity for 9,500.
TEG Live announced on Monday afternoon that the show would go ahead, despite many fans expressing outrage online for it being ‘tone-deaf’ and the difficulty of actually getting there, you know, with their city flooding and all.
“We’d love to see you, but not like this … it’s also tone deaf,” one person commented on TEG’s Facebook announcement.
New Order fan, Jane Rigby-White, told The Sydney Morning Herald she secured refundable tickets but wasn’t able to attend with her disabled daughter after South East Queensland and northern NSW was hit by extreme weather.
“My daughter, who has physical disabilities, was supposed to be coming with me but she is in northern NSW and unable to get to Brisbane for the event,” Rigby-White told Brisbane Times.
“A call to cancel the concert would have been in the interest of public safety.”
Many roads were still inaccessible with ongoing clean-up efforts, leaving many fans concerned about the safety of attending the waterlogged venue.
Despite paying for refundable tickets, Ticketmaster told fans they didn’t meet the requirements for a refund, fuelling the backlash.
A Ticketmaster spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald that transport and parking were still available, meaning the show would go ahead.
“The venue and promoter have confirmed that New Order will go ahead as planned at Riverstage, and fans are ensured that transport and parking will be made available for all attendees,” they said.
The confusion is justified as other bands have been forced to cancel their Queensland shows due to the cyclone.
This included veteran rock band, Green Day, who announced the cancellation of the last stop of their Savior tour in the Gold Coast last week.
