March 09, 2010

By By Vladimir Kozlov, Moscow

A show by the German pop-rock act Tokio Hotel at St. Petersburg's 12,000-seat Ice Palace was canceled at the last minute, allegedly due to a dispute between the artist and the promoter.

"Due to a very material contractual breach and violation by the local promoter, it is not justifiable to perform the St. Petersburg show today," the band said in a statement on its Web site on March 8, the scheduled date. "The band has tried everything to make the show happen, but with no luck! We feel terribly sorry for the fans, but the situation left us no other option."

Top Concert, the promoter of that show and a second concert, which is scheduled for Moscow's 16,000-seat Olimpiisky Sports Palace on March 10, refused to comment. In a statement on its Web site, it said the Moscow show is to go ahead as scheduled.

The Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that the band showed up at sound check earlier in the day but then packed their things and left, while thousands of fans were waiting for the show at the Ice Palace.

The BFM news portal reported that the promoter's representative addressed the audience from the stage, explaining the cancellation by "a sickness" of one of the band members and adding that the promoter did "all they could to make the show take place."

Subscribe to Billboard magazine today!