A Bryan Adams concert, scheduled to take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, was canceled hours after its scheduled start time despite being sold out, due to a blocked drain outside the venue. This sparked strong discontent among fans, who accused the organizers of "poor communication."
On Sunday afternoon, crews were called to the scene on Wellington Street in Perth's central business district to clear a build-up of fats, oils, grease, and rags in the wastewater system, commonly known as a "fatberg." As the blockage could not be cleared before the concert was due to begin, the decision was ultimately made to cancel the show, considering the public health risks.
A fan named Belinda, who purchased tickets to the Canadian artist's "bucket list" concert, waited in vain for approximately three hours. She stated that concertgoers were informed that the doors would remain closed due to a septic leak. However, they did not receive the first text message mentioning the problem until half an hour after the scheduled door opening time.
"They had a loudspeaker going, but because there were so many people, it wasn't loud enough for everyone to actually hear what was going on," she told ABC Radio Perth. She also mentioned that the crowd grew increasingly frustrated, and then just after 9 pm, they received a text message canceling the event. "I really think the communication could have been better, they obviously knew about the problem way earlier," she said. "They could have at least sent some staff out to see if people were okay, because there would definitely have been elderly people at a concert like that. We couldn't go in and get a drink in the time we were waiting..."
Water Corporation chief executive Pat Donovan said crews worked hard to clear the large blockage in the main wastewater pipe outside Wellington Street, near the concert venue. "Unfortunately, we had a perfect storm of factors that came together in the worst possible location and, obviously, at the worst possible time with a concert going on," he told ABC Radio Perth. Mr. Donovan stated that there was a genuine risk of wastewater overflowing at the venue. "I just want to offer a sincere apology to everybody who was hoping to see Bryan Adams last night and hopefully you understand the difficult decision that was made in the interests of your safety," he said.
Ticketing agency Frontier Touring posted on social media on Monday, confirming that the sold-out show would not be rescheduled. The company stated that ticket holders would automatically receive a full refund, but that the funds may take up to 30 business days to arrive. "The cancellation of the show is incredibly disappointing and we appreciate fans' understanding, whilst every effort was made to get the show underway, this was beyond the control of Bryan Adams, Frontier Touring and RAC Arena," the statement read.
The Hollywood Private Hospital also reported a similar but separate blockage incident the day before the concert, also caused by a fatberg. "A blocked Water Corporation sewer main in Nedlands has resulted in sewage flowing into some non-patient areas… including the ground floor of the Hollywood Specialist Centre," a Hollywood Hospital spokesperson said. "The hospital continues to operate as normal and there is no impact on inpatient care or visitor access to the site. A thorough clean and remediation commenced immediately, however it will take a number of days to repair the damage." The statement said their specialist management team was contacting patients with upcoming appointments to make alternative arrangements.