Fans left out of pocket as gig cancelled

RED Hot Chili Peppers fans in Dundee and Fife have been left disappointed and out of pocket after the band called off their Glasgow performance on the morning of the concert.

One ticket-holder from Dundee has lost money after booking a hotel for the event.

The band were due to complete the European leg of their tour at Bellahouston Park last night.

However, in a short statement posted on Twitter, they said they were “deeply disappointed” to postpone the gig, due to an unspecified illness.

Fans have been urged to hold on to their tickets and await a further update.

Ian Fagan, 56, from Dundee, said he is “disappointed” after losing money on his hotel booking in Glasgow.

The long-term Red Hot Chili Peppers fan said he won’t receive a full refund as he was forced to cancel the reservation at less than 24 hours notice.

Ian, who works for a computer recycling company in Dundee, had been “buzzing all week” to attend yesterday’s gig with his 22-year-old-son and a colleague.

He said: “I’m not doing great. Obviously, the late cancellation has affected a lot. We booked the hotel about three or four months ago.

“I’ve just cancelled it. I was going to go down (anyway) but I wasn’t in the mood any more.

“We’re only getting half the money from the hotel back as we weren’t given enough notice”.

Ian is hoping a new date will be announced soon.

“We would go if they reschedule,” he said. “They’re one of my favourite bands.”

James Keet, 43, from Kirkcaldy, said the last-minute cancellation is “gutting”.

The estate agent, who was planning to attend the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert with two friends, had booked yesterday off work.

He said: “I got sent an email from Ticketmaster at 7.30am (to say the gig was cancelled).

“It wasn’t the best news to wake up to.” He added: “We had all the trains and taxis booked to the concert and back home.

“We all booked the day off work, we were going to head across at 12.30pm and hit a couple of pubs and then go to the concert at 5pm.”

But James and his friends still intended to make the most of the day off.

He said: “We’re going to have a Chili Peppers concert in my garden.

“Get the barbecue on, get some beers and wear our T-shirts.”

Connor Bruce, 30, from Dundee was due to see the band perform live for the sixth time with his friends.

He said: “I woke up to 15 missed calls from my mate.

“He had got the text through from Ticketmaster and phoned me.

“I knew from the second I opened my eyes that it was bad news.”