Rockers roll Coast gig
Sambora, Orianthi ‘no show’
GUITAR stars Richie Sambora and Orianthi have cancelled their scheduled show on the Gold Coast tonight.
Orianthi, who’s played with Michael Jackson, Santana, Alice Cooper and Michael Bolton, and her beau, long-time Bon Jovi lead guitarist Sambora, were due to play RSL Southport tonight with local rock band The Rich and Famous.
Partners in life and music who tour and record as RSO, Orianthi, Sambora and their band opened their Australian tour with sets at the Under the Southern Stars festivals in Tuncurry, NSW, on Saturday and Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula on Sunday.
Tonight’s Coast gig was the first of four sideshows the duo was slated to play this week as part of a short tour to promote their second RSO EP Making History, released in December. The other sideshows – at Aussie World (Thursday), Sydney’s Max Watts (Friday) and Melbourne’s Prince Band Room (Saturday) – have also been cancelled.
A spokesman for tour promoters One World Entertainment cited “RSO touring schedule changes” as the reason for the cancellations.
The RSL Southport website yesterday advised ticketholders full refunds would be issued for the cancelled dates.
“Due to unforeseen artist circumstances the RSO event at RSL Club Southport scheduled for Wednesday 10th January has been cancelled,” the post reads. “We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused you and will issue you with a full refund of ticket purchase price.”
RSO received mixed reviews in 2016 for a short run of concerts Down Under, including a lacklustre halftime performance at the NRL Grand Final in Sydney.
The couple, who met in Hawaii four years ago when Orianthi was performing with Alice Cooper, describe their double act as “Sonny and Cher on steroids”.
Their Southport gig was one of two big rock shows scheduled on the Coast tonight, with fewer than 50 tickets remaining for Canadian star Bryan Adams’ 8pm concert with Thirsty Merc at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Sambora has been invited to join his former band mates when Bon Jovi are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 14.