Why Blondie cancelled a concert for the first time in their career and how it turned out

Blondie - a legendary band of their kind. Pioneers of new wave and punk rock (which sounds curious in itself), they were famous for their unique sound, excellent tracks that were often played on the radio waves, as well as for their beauty Debbie Harry at the microphone! In fact, it was thanks to her that the band got its name and fame, because the charismatic Debbie attracted the audience like a magnet.

The band has been through a lot in their long career: chart success and accusations of pop, break-ups and reunions, tedious filming and touring... Blondie have successfully played the more than a dozen concertsand only cancelled one show once. And that decision cost them dearly.....

The backstory: a crowd of 1,200 people on edge

Brisbane - one of Australia's most beautiful cities! Here you will find Her Majesty's Theatre (Her Imperial Majesty's Opera House), which in the second half of the seventies drew a suggestive crowd of 1,200 people. All of them were on edge, emotions were running high... Relatively young but already popular stars were about to appear. We're talking about a New York band. Blondiewhich recently became a hit in Australia. But backstage, the heat was much higher....

The band's tour manager, Ray MaguireMr. Kovacs was worried about how the crowd would react when he made the announcement that there would be no concert. He asked for extra police officers to arrive at the venue just in case, which was a smart move. When the audience heard the news, they loudly booed him and screamed. Then all hell broke loose…

By that time, Blondie already had several hits under their belt. They were still relatively unknown in their home country, but had achieved success internationally, especially in the Australia and Japan. They capitalised on this success by touring internationally in 1977 and 1978. But on reaching Brisbane there was a bit of an embarrassment.

Debbie Harry got carried away with fruit, with unexpected consequences

Ahead of a planned concert in Brisbane that night in December 1977. Debbie Harry suffered from an upset stomach that lasted for days! She went back to their motel and a doctor came to see her to examine her. Blondie had to cancel the show that night and reschedule it. It was the only concert by the band that was cancelled. And for good reason - Debbie was sick. Ray Maguire thought the most likely culprit for Debbie's aggravated stomach was. fresh fruit. He subsequently said:

"We don't see a lot of fruit in New York, but here we've been going crazy for it...I think Deborah has eaten too many cherries in the last few days."

But not everyone believed in this theorem. For example, some critics were convinced that Harri was unwell not because of fruit at all, but because of excessive consumption of fruit heavy substances. The fans had their own thoughts on the matter. But the crowd that had waited so long for this concert didn't care much about the real reasons. They were too busy trashing the venue.....

Consequences of a cancelled performance

At times, fans can be a lot tougher than they might seem at first glance. On that crazy night in Brisbane, the band's drummer. Clem Burke made a big mistake when he personally went on stage to apologise on behalf of Blondie to the disappointed fans... He went up on stage and the next second he was pelted with cans and bottles! Another moment later, the angry crowd was already storming the stage, and even managed to get into fist fights with members of the band's road crew. At the same time, backstage, another group of disgruntled fans threw cigarettes at Blondie's amplifiers and nearly set them on fire.

This riot became major sensation in the press. Punk, which at the time was often confused by newspapers with new wave, already had a reputation as a genre with questionable behaviour, and Blondie, as one of the first New York bands associated with these styles, attracted a lot of attention. By the end of the decade. Blondie are gonna be superstars.