ZZ Top legend Billy Gibbons may be the victim of false marketing following a serious of disastrous appearances in Australia.
Gibbons appearances in Australia were promoted as ‘Up Close and Personal’. While the show was billed as a Q&A “kicking back with Billy as he plays and reflects on some of his favorite tunes and famous riffs” the marketing suggested fans were in for at least a standard sized show “To perform some of his greatest hits Billy”.
Instead fans $105.95 got them two or three songs or in the case of the last show in Newcastle … two and a half songs after the legend was pelted with whatever the audience were holding in a Blues Brothers chicken wirelike re-enactment.
The final show in Brisbane for tonight (12 Jan) has been cancelled.
In a statement to Noise11.com from Gibbons office, we are told that what was sold to Billy and what was promoted to the fans were two totally different things. Gibbons was unaware that the audience was expecting a complete show until he arrived in Australia and did not prepare or bring the right equipment to play a show.
Billy was under the impression that he was coming to Australia to talk about hot rods, his passion. At no time was he even told a musical performance was required.
Statement regarding Billy Gibbons Up Close & Personal dates in Australia
Audience expectations regarding Billy Gibbons’ role as a performing musician in the recent Up Close & Personal dates through Australia seem not to have been in line with what he was asked to do when his services were engaged last year.
Mr. Gibbons was contracted to appear on those dates to discuss his passion for custom cars and hot rods with Jimmy Shine and to sign autographs and greet fans with no musical component called for or anticipated in the arrangement. It should be noted that, based on that understanding, he didn’t even bring, nor did he request musical equipment appropriate to such a performance.
It appears that these dates were promoted in such a way as miscommunicate to ticket holders that a substantial musical performance would be part of these events. Billy Gibbons, ever the consummate professional, had not planned nor prepared that kind of program and regrets that his role in those dates appears to him been grossly misstated.
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