McCartney cancels tour dates after Bali blast
Paul McCartney today cancelled next month’s Australia leg of his world tour as a mark of respect to the Bali victims.
He was due to perform in front of a 30,000-strong crowd at the Docklands Stadium in the southern Australian city of Melbourne on November 23.
But today the Beatles legend, who has not set a new date for the concert, said it was “not the appropriate time for a rock show.”
McCartney was scheduled to complete his US tour on October 29 then move on to Mexico City and Japan, before ending his world tour in Melbourne.
In a statement released by his publicist, he said: “Like many who have a deep fondness for Australia, I have been shocked and saddened by the recent terrible events in Bali and my heart goes out to all who have been affected by this tragedy.
“As a mark of respect to both the families who have lost loved ones and to the families of the injured, I have decided to postpone my planned concert in Melbourne as this is not the appropriate time for a rock show.
“In time, that show will hopefully come to be – but for now my sympathies and those of all of us on this tour are with you all in your grief.”
McCartney’s performance in Melbourne was set to be the only concert in the Australia-Southeast Asia region during his current tour.
It was to include songs from his time in the Beatles and his own band, Wings, as well as current material.
Some 103 Australians perished or are still missing since the terrorist blast ripped through a nightclub on the popular resort island on October 12.
