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Canadian singer Bryan Adams had to cancel an Australian show for a really crappy reason. Was it because he injured himself falling through one of Oz’s notorious trap doors on stage? No. Was it because he was bitten by a random bat while performing? Still no. Was it because Madonna was running two hours late again? No source has confirmed that. Nope, Adams had to cancel his Sunday concert in Perth thanks to fatbergs. The official term used by professional waste management systems is taken from icebergs, only instead of made of glacial ice, the mounds are comprised of fat, grease, and rags (think wet wipes) that block the natural flow of things. Perth Water Corporation crews worked tirelessly to try and avert a cancellation. But in the end the fatbergs won the day, and Adams was forced to put a plunger in the proceedings or else risk it becoming a literal sh-t show. CNN had coverage of this overflowing situation:
A giant fatberg forced Bryan Adams to cancel a concert in Western Australia on Sunday night after authorities warned it could cause the venue’s toilets to overflow, posing a potential health risk.
The sold-out show at Perth’s RAC Arena was called off just hours before the Grammy award-winning singer was due to perform on his “So Happy It Hurts” tour, disappointing thousands of fans, as workers scrambled to remove pools of water near the venue.
“Water Corporation crews are working to clear the large blockage of fat, grease and rags, which has caused several wastewater overflows” near the arena, the water company said in a statement.
“People should avoid contact with any pooled water … as it may be sewage.”
Adams apologized to fans for the short-notice cancellation.
“I’m really sorry we couldn’t make this happen tonight — I was so looking forward to seeing you all,” he wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “I appreciate your patience and support and can’t wait to be back and play for you as soon as we can reschedule.”
Show organizers promised refunds for ticket holders, adding that the cancellation was out of their control.
“Last night’s concert could not proceed due to an external Perth Water Corporation issue, which was unable to be fixed in time,” booking agent Frontier Touring said Monday in a Facebook post, adding it was deemed “unsafe for patrons to enter RAC Arena.”
“The cancellation of (the) show is bitterly disappointing, and we thank fans for their understanding that while every effort was made for the show to proceed, this matter was outside of the control of Bryan Adams, Frontier Touring and RAC Arena,” the post said.
But the explanation came too late for frustrated concertogers, who said they were left waiting for hours outside the venue before the show was called off, public broadcaster ABC News reported.
“It was obvious early afternoon that there was a serious issue,” said one commenter on Facebook in reply to the booking agent’s post. “Disgraceful to make people stand outside the venue for hours before making the decision.”
Another user said: “Devastating … 15,000 people waiting on the streets for hours.”
…Fatbergs (the word is a portmanteau of fat and iceberg) form over time as items that can’t be broken down are flushed or washed down drains instead of disposed of correctly.
Well there you have it, folks. Take the extra time to ensure you’re depositing waste in the proper place — the fate of artists touring depends on it! (And let’s face it, thanks to skyrocketing ticket prices, that industry is already circling the drain.) And yes of course, the issue is larger than concerts being canceled last minute after tens of thousands of patrons stood outside in 80-degree heat (it’s summer Down Under!) in what was likely a malodorous venue. And it’s already a global issue: CNN reported on a 330-ton, half-mile-long fatberg that clogged up the pipes of Birmingham, UK in 2021 for weeks! When that incident occurred, local water management advised to “leave leftover cooking fat to cool” before throwing it out in the trash, in addition to what they coined as the Three P’s of Flushing: pee, poo, toilet paper (my fourth P: points, for trying to make that alliteration happen).
Ok, I’m ready to close the lid on this for now. Aside from being a topic with yucky imagery, I do believe I’ve flushed out all the puns I possibly toilet. I mean can!
Photos credit: Michal Meissner/PAP/Avalon, Imago/Avalon, Save The Chimps/Avalon
