The first concert at Swansea's long-awaited new arena has been pushed back for two weeks due to Covid and "international measures still in place".
Rock duo Royal Blood will no longer be the first act to perform at the new multi-million pound music and events venue, aptly named "Swansea Arena". Instead of appearing on Tuesday, March 8, as announced last November, their gig will now take place on Saturday, March 19. It means John Bishop's Right Here Right Now show will officially open the arena on Tuesday, March 15.
Management at the arena said delaying the inaugural performance was not a decision that had been taken lightly, but was "logistically out of everyone's control".
Tickets will remain valid for the new date, whilst those who can no longer attend the event due to the rescheduling can contact organiser, ATG Tickets, for information on the options available.
Confirming the performance had been rescheduled, a spokesperson for Swansea Arena wrote on social media on Thursday: "Due to the ongoing situation with Covid-19 and the international measures still in place, Royal Blood have been forced to make some changes to several European tour dates. Therefore, we regret to announce that their show here at Swansea Arena on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 will be moving to Saturday, March 19, 2022.
"We don't make decisions like this lightly here at the Arena, nor do the promoters of this show, or the band. But, unfortunately, this one was logistically out of everyone's control.
"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this has caused - though we are over the moon that the incredible Royal Blood will still be the first musical act to push our sound system to its limits! We are so sorry to keep you waiting but we promise it will be worth it.
"All tickets will remain valid for the new date."
The spokesperson continued: "If you are unable to attend on the new date, please visit our Help Centre or call our Customer Contact Centre on 03330 096 690 before February 20 for information on the options available. We thank you for your patience and understanding with this rescheduled show. ATG Tickets Help Centre [can be contacted here]."
Whilst some ticket holders have said it's a "bonus" that the event has been moved to a weekend, others said they were disappointed the event had been rescheduled, particularly as it now clashed with Josh Widdecombe appearing at Swansea Grand Theatre that day.
In response to one disappointed ticket holder, a spokesperson for Swansea Arena said: "We typically do check for conflicts in programming, but the opportunity to ensure such a brilliant act is brought to Swansea to form a core element of our launch programme is just too good to miss."
Swansea Arena is part of the £135m Copr Bay district being developed by Swansea Council and loads of stars have already been confirmed to be performing there including Rob Brydon, Katherine Ryan, Alice Cooper and The Cult, and Diversity.
Rock duo Royal Blood will go on to perform at other top venues in the UK and across Europe, including The O2 in London, the AO Arena in Manchester, Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena, the Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium, La Villette in Paris, France, and the 3 Arena in Dublin, Ireland, in the weeks after their Swansea performance.
The talented pair - Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher - have achieved two million global sales, and have won the Brit Award for Best British Group, two NME Awards and a Kerrang! Award. Their debut album was also nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Announcing their performance back in November, a spokesperson for Swansea Arena said: "We are beyond excited to announce that Royal Blood, one of rock’s biggest and most vital bands, will become the very first act to play as part of our launch season on Tue 8 Mar 2022 [now rescheduled to March 19] marking a special event ahead of their biggest European tour to date.
"Royal Blood have completed a phenomenal hat-trick in which all three of their studio albums have immediately topped the UK album charts, and the success of the band's latest album ‘Typhoons’ heralds an exciting new era for the band".
Royal Blood will be joined by The Amazons, a rock band from Reading, during their UK tour.
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