British singer Morrissey canceled a concert in Valencia after losing sleep during the city’s notoriously rowdy Las Fallas festival.
A statement on his website said: “Having traveled for two days by road, Morrissey arrived at the hotel in Valencia late on Wednesday. Any form of sleep or rest during the night was impossible due to the festival noise, loud techno chants and megaphone announcements.”
The statement went on to say that “this experience has left Morrissey in a catatonic state” and that he would not perform.
Morrissey will perform in two other Spanish cities, Zaragoza and Seville, on March 14 and 16 respectively.
His team insisted that the Valencia concert had not been canceled but that “circumstances made it impossible to hold.” The singer presented recordings of the noise to justify the decision. The cheapest tickets for tonight’s show at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia cost €103 (£88).
In a later statement, Morrissey wrote that his hotel was an “unspeakable hell. It will take me a year to recover. And that is an understatement.”
As far as cancellations go, Morrissey has form, even in Spain. Last year he canceled a concert at the Madrid botanical garden. In 2004 he canceled at short notice after appearing at the Benicàssim International Festival, near Valencia, citing “technical difficulties with his private plane.”
In 2014 he canceled again, this time in Warsaw, 25 minutes into his performance, complaining that a spectator had shouted something “extremely offensive.”
A year later he refused to perform at a festival in Reykjavik after the organizers denied his request that meat not be served during the event.
Of the 21 concerts booked this year to promote her new album, Make-Up Is a Lie, five (in San Diego, St. Louis, Atlanta, Dominican Republic and St. Petersburg, Florida) have already been canceled and one, in Rancho Mirage in California, has been postponed.
The fanzine site We Heart Music estimates that throughout his career – including his time in the Smiths before going solo – the singer has canceled more than 400 shows, including almost half of the last 100.
Despite his numerous absences, Morrissey has a large and loyal international following. He went solo in 1987 after five years with the Smiths, considered one of the most influential independent music bands in history, and has since produced 14 studio albums and two live albums as a solo artist.
After its release on Friday 6 March, Make-Up Is a Lie peaked at No. 2 on the UK weekday album charts, behind Harry Styles. If Morrissey can maintain that position this Friday, it would be his highest chart position since 2014’s World Peace Is None of Your Business, which also reached No. 2. All but two of his studio albums have charted in the UK Top 5.
Anyone who thinks they’re going to get some sleep during Las Fallas de Valencia hasn’t done their homework. Although the festival is officially celebrated from March 15 to 19, preparations begin much earlier with concerts, processions and fireworks.
The different neighborhoods of Valencia compete to see who can build the most elaborate and spectacular floats, which are then paraded through the city. In the final act, all the floats are set on fire, amid more fireworks.
If Morrissey is still in town on Thursday, you should be aware that there will be another fireworks show starting at 8.30pm.
