News of Ed Sheeran refund falls flat with Hong Kong fans who waited for hours in thunderstorm for concert that never happened
- AEG Presents makes Facebook announcement day after singer’s second show at Disneyland was cancelled
- Lightning, lashing rain, and high winds made it impossible for gig to go ahead
Fans who stood for hours in the middle of a thunderstorm to see Ed Sheeran perform at Hong Kong Disneyland will be given a full refund after the gig was cancelled at the last minute, the concert promoter said on Friday.
Sheeran said on his Instagram account on Friday that he would return to the city to make it up to his fans.
“Hong Kong, apologies again for yesterday,” he said. “I promise I will come back and make this up to you before the year ends. In the process of making plans. Love you all, and sorry again x.”
But the news only brought further condemnation from concertgoers still angry at being left standing in the pouring rain, only for organisers to pull the plug at 9.20pm, almost an hour after it had been scheduled to start.
In the hours after AEG Presents announced the refund on its Facebook page, 321 people reacted to it, with 212 angry responses, and only 56 likes.
“You left 20,000 people standing there for three hours and you said you are only refunding the ticket price. The thunderstorm doesn’t just come out from nowhere. There is a weather forecast and as the organiser, you should have had a contingency plan,” user Marcus Lau wrote.
Another user, Jason Lau, commented: “Your refund is not enough for compensating your poor arrangement of the show, it’s just what we expected to get back as the show is being cancelled.”
The refund will be available from HK Ticketing, and AEG said the money would be automatically returned within 45 working days to the original credit card used to purchase the tickets.
“The safety of all fans and production staff is paramount. On behalf of the promoter, the venue and artists we sincerely apologise for any disappointment or inconvenience this has caused,” the statement on Facebook read. AEG has not been able to confirm if there will be a make-up show in the future.
Ed Sheeran live in Hong Kong: fans get a night to remember as star proves worth the wait
Marketing coordinator Donna Shiu Cheuk-ling, 24, said she would apply for a refund. “But, it is not a money problem … people have been waiting for this for a long time.”
Shiu said many of the fans had been eagerly waiting for the show because the singer had cancelled his 2017 Hong Kong tour after injuring both arms in a cycling accident.
The two-day stop was part of Sheeran’s Divide Tour, with the Thinking Out Loud star performing at the same venue on Wednesday.
He will next head to South Korea to perform in Seoul on Sunday.
