Bryan Adams concert cancelled due to sewer fatberg
Hours before he was due to take to the stage in Perth, Australia
A Bryan Adams concert was cancelled in Australia last night (9th February) due to a sewer fatberg. Hours before the Canadian rocker was due to take to the stage at Perth’s RAC Arena, Bryan Adams issued a statement.
The statement read: "Tonight’s show at RAC Arena has been postponed. I’m really sorry we couldn’t make this happen tonight—I was so looking forward to seeing you all.
“I appreciate your patience and support and can’t wait to be back and play for you as soon as we can reschedule.”
Perth RAC Arena added: "RAC Arena advise that tonight’s performance by Bryan Adams is postponed due to an external Water Corporation water supply issue which could not be resolved.
“All existing ticketholders will be notified of an update as soon as possible and need not take any action at this point in time."
Shedding more light on the situation, Perth’s Water Corporation confirmed earlier today (10th February) that a fatberg was to blame.
A fatberg is a large mass of fat and waste material that forms in sewer, usually containing non-biodegradable solids such as wet wipes and nappies, plus fat, oil, and grease deposits.
“Yesterday, we responded to a large blockage in a sewer main running along Wellington St, in Perth CBD. We were responding to wastewater overflows along Wellington St when it began impacting the basement of RAC Arena,” the Water Corporation wrote on Facebook.
“Despite the best effort of our crews, event organisers were advised at 7.30pm the blockage could not be easily dislodged, with venue management making the incredibly tough decision to cancel the Bryan Adams concert due to the health risk of potential wastewater overflows within the venue.”
They added: “Public health must always come first and that was the basis of last night's decision.
“Contingencies, including the use of sucker trucks, were considered, but the volume of wastewater generated by a capacity crowd of 16,000 people at the Arena was considered too great.
“We can certainly understand people's disappointment and frustration. We want to reassure them crews worked incredibly hard to clear this blockage so the concert could go ahead.
“The blockage was cleared around 11.15pm last night and the wastewater overflows at various sites have since stopped.
“We are cleaning and disinfecting any affected sites and providing support to impacted properties.
“While last night was an incredibly rare occurrence, it's an important reminder to not flush things down the toilet or sink that can lead to these problems.”
Bryan Adams' Australian tour continues in Sydney on Wednesday (12th February) before concluding in Brisbane on Thursday (13th February).
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