'We'll endeavour to bring Rag’n’Bone Man back to Inverness' – says gig promoter
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Every effort will be made to secure a Rag’n’Bone Man gig again – after tonight's show in Inverness was cancelled.
The 11th-hour call-off was due to "unforeseen travel issues" for his band and crew, who were heading north from London.
Rag'n'Bone Man himself – real name Rory Graham – had actually made it to Inverness, but could not perform at Northern Meeting Park without the rest of his band and crew. Some equipment was also due to be brought with them.
The decision was announced with "deep regret" this morning, with the show being described as "logistically impossible" after flights were cancelled.
Those who had purchased tickets have been told they will be contacted directly by their relevant ticket agency about refunds in the coming days.
It is understood around 15 people in the band and crew were due to arrive in Inverness at 10.10pm last night on an easyJet flight from Gatwick. However, it was cancelled due to a technical issue that could not be resolved, with the airline apologising for the decision which was made on safety grounds.
It is believed the flight, which was due to leave London at 8.30pm, was delayed for several hours prior to the decision to cancel, with passengers not leaving the airport until the early hours of this morning.
Alternative flights, including private planes, were apparently considered but were not able to get the band and crew to the Highland capital in time to do the necessary preparation for the chart-topper's concert.
Les Kidger, director of LCC Live, which promoted the gig as part of its Live in the City series, said: "He [Rag'n'Bone Man] was already up here but his band and crew were flying up last night but the plane was delayed and then cancelled, then they couldn't get any way of getting up here in time.
"They looked at options but realistically the quickest that they could have got here was late-afternoon and that would have been around the time when we'd have been opening the gates, and they'd have needed to set up and such so we're devastated.
"The stage was set and we were all ready to go but it's just one of those things. Unfortunately, when they are coming up from London it's not like they can just jump in a car and it's 10 minutes up the road.
"We're absolutely devastated. I spoke to Rory's [Rag'n'Bone Man's] manager this morning and we will work on getting him back. It was a very quick conversation but we said we'd see what his touring plans are for next year and the year after. But we will endeavour to get him back.
"He's one of the artists we always wanted to bring to Inverness and there were thousands of people coming tonight. It was a good selling show and we're here to put on big shows and instead of that tonight, we probably have 80-90 people on-site now taking everything down.
"We're sorry that the event is not taking place and we will endeavour to bring Rory back to Inverness and the Highlands.
"He's [Rag'n'Bone Man's] gutted as well. He was here and he was really looking forward to the gig. I haven't spoken to him but I heard he had a good time in Inverness so I'm sure he'll be returning."
The setback followed a successful LCC Live gig for Clean Bandit, supported by Ella Henderson, at the Northern Meeting Park on Friday night.
"A great night was had by all," Mr Kidger said. "We had thousands of people here. They enjoyed it and were all well behaved. It was a fantastic night."
