London: A special concert that would have seen Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan reunite on stage for the first time in more than 20 years has been cancelled.
British record producer Pete Waterman said that the gig at London’s Hyde Park on Wednesday had been called off due to recent bad weather.
He said that the grounds had now become “unsafe” following rain at the Wireless festival over the weekend.
Organisers said ticket purchases made through Ticketmaster and See Tickets will be automatically refunded.
Fans who bought tickets elsewhere were advised to contact the vendor.
The outdoor concert was to reunite artists who found fame on the PWL record label, which is marking its 25th anniversary.
Waterman said he was “devastated for everyone” involved.
“People have come from all over the world to make this happen. We’re trying to work out what we can do,” the BBC quoted him as saying.
“Police, parks and safety people have said it’s completely unsafe at the moment. We saw the damage caused by the Wireless festival at the weekend, but we can’t get lorries on to the site to dump bark and mulch on the ground.”
“What can I say? We’ve had exceptional weather. If it’s not safe, it’s not safe and you can’t control that,” he added.
Minogue, who posted a picture of her rehearsals with Donovan, expressed her disappointment on her website:
“I am so sorry to hear that the concert tomorrow had to be cancelled. I feel for all the fans who had bought tickets to this special event. Jason and I were rehearsed and excited to share this moment with everyone,” she said.
Acts including Steps, Sinitta, Sonia, Rick Astley, Bananarama, Pepsi and Shirlie and Brother Beyond had also been due to perform at the concert.
Taking to his Twitter account Donovan said that they were all “extremely disappointed” and that they had not taken the decision lightly.
“Can’t believe it... Was really looking forward to celebrating the wonderful work of Mike, Matt and Pete and all who made those songs so special to a generation!” he wrote.
Waterman said he hoped the concert could be restaged at some point in the future, but added “it’s not that easy” as Steps are due to go on tour and other acts have prior commitments.
ANI
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