Robbie Williams’ Istanbul concert cancelled “in the interests of public safety”
Robbie Williams has announced that the final stop on his Britpop world tour in Istanbul has been cancelled due to forces “beyond our control”.
Taking to social media, the superstar shared the upsetting news, writing that he was “extremely sorry” the momentous show would not be going ahead.
He wrote: “City authorities have cancelled the show, in the interests of public safety. The last thing I would ever want to do is to jeopardise the safety of my fans – their safety and security come first.
The statement continued, “We were very excited to be playing Istanbul for the first time, and purposely chose the city as the final show of the Britpop tour. To end this epic run of dates in front of my Turkish fans was my dream, given the close connections my family have with this wonderful country.”
He began the tour in May, performing in Edinburgh, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Helsinki, and Athens across an epic 38 nights.
Rounding out his apologies, he added, “To everyone in Istanbul who wanted to join the 1.2 million people who have shared this phenomenal tour this year with us, I am deeply sorry. We were so looking forward to this show, but the decision to cancel it was beyond our control.”
Turkish media have reported recent social media abuse aimed at Williams for previously performing in Israel, labeling him a “Zionist”. He last performed in Israel in 2023. They suggest the cancellation is due to threats aimed at his Istanbul performance.
Despite the cancellation, Williams has an exciting venture ahead. He will perform his smallest ticketed gig at Camden’s Dingwalls venue in London on October 9th. At the show, he will run through his upcoming album Britpop, which is yet to be released, in full, with his first solo LP, Life Thru A Lens.
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