Istanbul municipal authorities have canceled the concert by British singer Robbie Williams, scheduled for October 7, which was supposed to be his first in the city, organizers announced.
Williams previously performed in Bodrum, Turkey. In an interview with Turkish media, he noted that he should have visited Istanbul a long time ago. The singer's wife, Ayda Field, is half-Turkish. Several Turkish organizations have called on authorities to cancel Williams' concert, as he has previously spoken out in support of Israel. In the end, activists announced the cancellation even before the official announcement.
„Robbie Williams' concert in Istanbul on October 7 has been canceled by the Istanbul provincial government“, organizers told the agency.
The organizers promised to refund the money of those who bought tickets. The organizers changed the venue for the concert twice. They finally settled on an open-air concert venue in the Ataköy district of western Istanbul. Tickets initially cost from $100, but as the concert approached, their price rose, while remaining on sale: the cheapest tickets were offered for around $155, while on the VIP platform they were offered for over $480.