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on 05DEC2008 from www.inverness-courier.co.uk
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TOMORROW'S planned Inverness concert by Irish music great Van Morrison appears to have become a victim of the credit crunch after promoters announced its cancellation.
Fans of the star will not be the only ones to lose out. The Black Isle branch of Cancer Research UK had hoped that tomorrow's Ironworks show would prove a money spinner after Morrison's two shows in the same venue last year made a reported £25,000 for the charity.
Following the success of the Van Morrison show, the charity announced another fund-raiser concert for 20th June this year featuring Tony Hadley, former lead singer with 1980s new romantics Spandau Ballet, but this was then re-scheduled for October before being dropped from the venue website.
The Ironworks would not confirm yesterday that the Van Morrison show had been cancelled because of poor advance sales of the tickets, which were priced at £45.
However, rumours about poor sales began to circulate last week after The Ironworks announced the cancellation of the first of the two shows Morrison had been scheduled to perform this weekend.
The venue claimed that the first show, which was to have taken place tonight, had been cancelled due to a conflict with a pre-booked event.
The situation contrasts with Van Morrison's Ironworks debut last year when tickets for the show, priced £39.50 plus a £3.50 booking fee, sold out in a day, prompting the organisers to lay on a second performance.
An Ironworks spokesman said that all tickets bought for this weekend's planned shows will be refunded and that all parties, including Van Morrison, have expressed hope that the singer will be able to revisit the venue in the future.
"We are disappointed that a potential fund-raising opportunity for the charity has been missed and that Van fans will be unable to see him in the Highlands this time around," the spokesman said.
Anyone who has already bought a ticket for the show should call The Ironworks box office on 08717 894173 to arrange a refund.
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on 05DEC2008 from www.highland-news.co.uk
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HUNDREDS of fans have been left disappointed after music legend Van Morrison cancelled his planned gig at the Ironworks in Inverness on Saturday evening.
Promoter Robert Hicks said the concert had been cancelled due to 'unforeseen circumstances' but had received no further information from the musician's agents.
Van Morrison had originally been due to play two nights in Inverness, but that was then slimmed down to just the Saturday night concert, before being binned entirely. Tickets for the gig had been priced at £45.
Mr Hicks said there were no plans at the moment to reschedule the gig and that people who had bought tickets would be offered a full refund.
Although news of the cancellation came on Thursday, there was still nothing about it on the front page of The Ironworks website by mid-morning on Friday, and people were still able to click on the button to buy tickets. The only news on the site of the cancellation appeared in the gig listings.
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on 05DEC2008 from Jane Candlish www.pressandjournal.co.uk
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Two concerts for cancer research by singer van Morrison have been called off
Mystery surrounds cancellation of charity gigs
Hundreds of music fans and a national cancer charity have been left disappointed after gigs in Inverness by superstar Van Morrison were mysteriously cancelled.
The concerts tonight and tomorrow were to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
It was to be the Irish singer’s second appearance at the music venue, after he performed two gigs there in aid of the same charity last year.
Tonight’s gig was cancelled due to a “timetabling” conflict, while the Ironworks confirmed yesterday that tomorrow’s concert was also off.
Anyone who has bought tickets for either gig have been promised a refund.
Van Morrison, who is famous for tracks such as Moondance and Gloria, signed up to do two nights at the Ironworks because he enjoyed his appearances last year.
A spokesman for the Ironworks said: “Cancer Research, Black Isle branch and The Ironworks regret that the remaining day of Van Morrison’s appearance in Inverness has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
“All parties have expressed hope that another opportunity can be found for the artist to visit the venue. Contact the box office on 0871 7894173 for refunds”
Van Morrison’s agent, Danny Betesh, was unavailable for comment yesterday.
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on 05DEC2008 from www.ironworksvenue.co.uk
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Due to unforeseen circumstances Van Morrison will no longer be playing on 5th and 6th December 2008, all ticket holders are entitled to full refund please contact the box office on 0871 7894 173.