Whitesnake canceled its appearance Saturday at the Rock Imperium Festival in Cartagena, Spain, and the rockers’ decision to pull out of the event apparently upset the festival’s organizers.
On Saturday, Whitesnake issued a statement apologizing to fans for canceling that read, in part, “Please know we are doing everything in our power to bring you the best high energy and exciting shows we possibly can. We always strive to deliver 100%, as Whitesnake fans always deserve that much, and never anything less.”
The note adds, “We knew embarking on this tour could present many new obstacles and potential issues, which had been unknown to us on previous tours. Please know we are doing everything in our power to work through these unprecedented challenges.”
Following Whitesnake’s cancellation, festival organizers issued a lengthy statement complaining that the band had given little notice before pulling out of the gig and noting that much of the group’s equipment already was set up on stage when they officially canceled.
The note explains, “At 1:23 [p.m.], we received a call from Whitesnake’s agent indicating that the band’s drummer, Tommy Aldridge, was very ill with a high fever and that they could not perform. We appealed to the band’s sense of professionalism so as not to leave fans stranded, but their agent was blunt, stating that the show was ‘100% cancelled by the band.'”
You can read the festival organizers’ full statement about the situation at RockImperiumFestival.es.
On Sunday, Whitesnake issued another statement that reads, “Tommy was under the weather, as we all can get, but is getting better: he never had, what was inaccurately described [by the Spanish promoter] as ‘severe health problems’ and can’t wait to get back out there to perform for the fans!”
Whitesnake’s next scheduled performance is Monday, June 27 in Milan, Italy.
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