The cancellation of Pitbull’s planned concert in Riga was prompted by concerns over the safety of the stage structure, event organiser representative Ģirts Majors revealed in an interview with Latvian Television’s Rīta panorāma.
Majors said the issues only came to the organisers’ attention a few hours before the announcement of the cancellation was made. As a result, ticket holders were informed about the situation as quickly as possible.
He acknowledged that the organisers’ initial statement was brief because it was not possible to immediately provide a full and accurate explanation of the circumstances.
Majors said there are still many unanswered questions, including whether the problem was caused by defects in the stage structure itself or by errors during its assembly. A series of expert examinations will now be carried out to determine the exact cause.
He also told Latvian Television that all of the artist’s equipment was safely dismantled over the past 24 hours so it could be transported without delay for Pitbull’s next concert in Lithuania.
“It was a huge operation because it required extensive technical resources,
as well as experts who provided instructions on how to handle the situation safely and correctly,” Majors explained.
Asked whether the technical problems could have been resolved before the concert was due to begin, Majors said they certainly would have been fixed had that been possible.
He repeatedly stressed that the organisers made a professional and responsible decision in accordance with strict international safety regulations to ensure the highest possible level of safety. For that reason, he believes the incident should not damage the organisers’ reputation or affect future cooperation with world-class artists. At the same time, he admitted the decision was both costly and extremely difficult.
As previously reported, organisers announced on Tuesday evening that Pitbull’s concert, scheduled for Wednesday at the Mežaparks Great Bandstand in Riga, had been cancelled.
In their initial statement, organisers said
the cancellation was due to technical issues encountered during the construction of the concert infrastructure.
“The remaining time was not sufficient to resolve the technical issues safely and in accordance with the technical standards required for the event,” the organisers said.
They added that ticket holders would receive further information about the next steps by email.
Latvia’s Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC) has confirmed that consumers are entitled to receive a refund for the cancelled concert.
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