Rihanna’s Barbados concert postponed until next year
From Caribbean360
The cancellation of the promised “biggest concert production ever staged in the Caribbean” has been attributed to technical difficulties associated with the transport of equipment.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The eagerly anticipated and much publicised homecoming concert by Bajan superstar Rihanna has been postponed indefinitely.
Originally scheduled for Friday November 1 at Kensington Oval, the Barbados leg of Rihanna’s Diamonds World Tour is said to have run into a hitch with “technical difficulties associated with the transport of equipment.”
The postponement was announced on Friday by tour organisers Live Nation Global Touring who said that a new date was as yet unavailable, but indicated it would not be before next year.
They nevertheless assured that tickets already purchased for the aborted event will be valid for the rescheduled performance in 2014.
The show’s postponement will be a disappointment to fans who were looking forward to the promised “biggest concert production ever staged in the Caribbean.”
The massive production was expected to see 25 tons of stage equipment being pressed into service by a 60-member crew to produce a spectacular comprising a six-storey backdrop and speaker system; 350 moving lights along with an extensive lighting system; major pyrotechnics, including 10 flame dragon heads; seven lasers; a 60-foot catwalk extending into the audience; giant LED video screens and more.
Supporting acts were to have been award-winning American hip hop artists, A$ap Rocky and 2 Chainz.
The postponement of the concert is also predicted to be a blow to the tourism sector, which was expecting that the show would generate an increase in visitors during what is traditionally a slow period before the start of the winter tourist season. Reports had indicated that over 3,000 tickets had been purchased overseas, with a significant number of them being snapped up by Trinidadians.
The show would have been Rihanna’s second major performance in Barbados, following the highly successful staging of her Loud concert in 2011.
The wider Caribbean was nevertheless treated to the star quality of the Stay star, who performed at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in the Dominican Republic on Saturday. The show hits the road again on Tuesday for a performance at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico.
The full text of the published announcement follows:
“Unfortunately, due to the technical difficulties associated with the transport of equipment, The Rihanna Diamonds World Tour originally scheduled for next Friday, November 1st has been postponed it was announced Friday by Live Nation Global Touring.
The rescheduled date is unavailable at press time but tickets purchased for the November 1st event will be valid for the rescheduled performance next year.
Fans requiring a refund may do so as follows:
Fans who purchased in cash, may obtain a refund in person upon presentation of the original ticket beginning Wed. Oct. 30th through Saturday, November 1st between the hours of 10am to 6pm at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill Bridgetown.
Fans who ordered online at www.ticketmaster.com please call 1-800-745-3000 toll free number to have your ticket purchase cancelled.
Fans who purchased their tickets via credit card at the Welches Plaza Box Office may obtain their refund in person upon presentation of the original ticket at Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre or may mail their tickets to the Premier office at the address below.
Any fan may mail their ticket(s) to:
Premier Event Services Inc
Suite G3 Welches Plaza
Welches Rd, St Michael”
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Rihanna asked to leave mosque after controversial photographs
From Caribbean 360
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Barbados’ pop princess Rihanna was given the right royal boot at the weekend when she was asked to leave the site of a mosque in Abu Dhabi after posting photographs of herself posing in areas of the mosque that are off-limit to visitors.
The Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque subsequently issued a statement saying that while it is open to visitors of all faiths and allows pictures, the singer’s images were inappropriate, violated the sanctity of the mosque and disrespected the religious nature of the location, according to a Gulf News report.
The pictures, which showed the Unapologetic girl striking various poses in an all-black hooded jumpsuit, were posted to her Instagram account accompanied by characteristic Rihanna comments.
One photograph of the Diamonds star looking at a group of local women wearing traditional head scarves and full body garments bore the caption: “B*tch stole my look.”
Another shot depicted the singer lying on her back in the sun with the comment “#NoTanLines.” Others show her posing with bright red lipstick and fingernails and dripping bling in front of restricted areas of the largest mosque in the UAE, which can accommodate over 40,000 worshippers.
The statement released by the mosque does not name Rihanna, but refers to “a recent incident involving a singer.”
“In the event of behaviour that violates the moral codes of access to the mosque, or other visit regulations – such as taking inappropriate pictures, posing in ways that are improper in the context of sacred place, talking loudly, or eating – the violators are directed in a polite manner that reflects the civilizational and tolerant attributes of Islam,” the statement read.
“Here, the Centre refers to a recent incident, involving a singer who came for a private visit to the mosque, at a gate that is not reserved for visitors, without prior coordination with the Centre’s management and without identifying herself,” it continued.
The statement added that the singer “left without entering the mosque, after being asked to do so, due to the fact that she had taken some pictures that do not conform with the conditions and regulations put in place by the Centre’s management to regulate visits in a way that takes the status and sanctity of the mosque into consideration.”
The photographs, which have since appeared on websites around the world, have been greeted with mixed reactions.
EmilyNovember wrote: “Are these photos serious? I can’t believe she is this wrapped up into her own ‘looks’ that she poses at a place like this. A place which represents the opposite of what she represents.”
Ali Al Saloom, the founder of AskAli.com, added: “I feel disappointed that she shared photos on Instagram that are inappropriate to the values of our religion and our Arab tradition, which values modesty and respect to the most important venue that has our father of the nation HH Sheikh Zayed’s graveyard. A mosque is not to be seen as a fun place, nor is it a place for filming fashion.”
Nasif Kayed from the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Understanding nevertheless pointed out: “In all of the pics she is dressed from head to toe. What is offensive about them? I’m sure that she was given the permission to be photographed in the manner in which she was. While each and all has their own opinion, in my opinion nothing in the photos is offensive.”
Meanwhile, @mila_iggy responded to the images by writing: “I don’t see how Rihanna posing adjacent to a mosque in Abu Dhabi is disrespectful. If anything she’s showing respect by supporting the hijab.”
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a major tourist site in the United Arab Emirates.
PHOTO: The images were said to have been inappropriate, to have violated the sanctity of the mosque and disrespected the religious nature of the location.
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