Rag'n'Bone Man concert called off hours before singing star’s Scottish show

Transport problems blamed for cancellation

Rag'n'Bone Man's concert at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness was called off just before he was due to take to the stage.

A headline outdoor concert by Brit Award-winning singing star Rag'n'Bone Man has been called off hours before he was due to take the stage in Scotland.

Organisers blamed 'unforeseen and unavoidable travel issues' for the last-minute decision to pull the plug on the Live In The City event at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness.

Promoters LCC Live said musicians and crew due to work on the show had been left stranded and the event was "logistically impossible" to go ahead.

The cancellation was confirmed days after the company's director had told of the challenges of trying to stage major events in the Highlands.

Director Les Kidger, who has previously put on shows by Sir Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams, Olly Murs, Westlife and Noel Gallegher, said costs involved in bringing big-name acts north had gone up by 45 per cent over the last two years.

LCC Live called off the Sunday night Rag’n’Bone Man show, which was also due to feature Josh Barry and the Shambolics, after staging a concert with Clean Bandit, Ella Henderson and Keir Gibson on Friday night.

A joint statement from Rag’n’Bone Man and the promoters said: “It is with deep regret that we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel the concert at the Northern Meeting Park.

“Due to unforeseen and unavoidable travel issues – with flights being cancelled for the band and crew on their way to Scotland and all avenues of alternative travel means exhausted – the show is logistically impossible to put on without the team and equipment that are unable to get to Inverness today.

“We can only apologise to the thousands of customers who had booked tickets to see the concert.

“Those who had purchased tickets will be contacted directly by their relevant ticket agency about refunds in the coming days, please look out for an email from them.”

Last week Mr Kidger had spoken of the importance to the economy of bringing major acts to the Highlands.

He added: “What we say to all the managers and agents is: there is life past Glasgow.

""Rag 'n' Bone is playing his only Scottish date, so fans are travelling from the central belt and east and west Scotland to Inverness, and that makes the city busier and brings money into the local economy."