Miley Cyrus has announced she will no longer be travelling to Melbourne to headline the World Tour Bushfire Relief charity concert, prompting the organisers to cancel the one-night-only event that was due to take place on Friday 13 March.
“Due to the recommendations of local, state, federal and international government authorities, including the Center for Disease Control, to reduce potential health risks in response to the current global health crisis, we are no longer traveling to Aus for the show,” Cyrus said on Twitter on Tuesday.
“I am so disappointed to not be there, but I have to do what is right to protect the health and safety of my band and crew. I will still be making a donation to help the victims of the Australian bush fire. I’m sorry to miss everyone in Australia, but I will be back soon.”
I am so disappointed to not be there, but I have to do what is right to protect the health and safety of my band and crew. I will still be making a donation to help the victims of the Australian bush fire. I’m sorry to miss everyone in Australia, but I will be back soon.
— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) March 10, 2020
The concert organiser TEG Dainty said the whole concert had now been cancelled and ticket holders would be refunded.
“We are very sad that Miley Cyrus has announced that she will not be travelling to Melbourne and that as a result the World Tour Bushfire Relief concert at Lakeside Stadium on Friday 13 March can no longer go ahead. All fans will receive a full refund and will be contacted by Ticketek shortly, a statement from statement from TEG Dainty said.
“World Tour’s Saturday night show with Robbie Williams will still be going ahead, and we look forward to bringing Melbourne a fantastic night of entertainment. Robbie is already on his way to Australia.”
The lineup of the fundraising concert had been due to feature country-rap star Lil Nas X, alongside pop duo the Veronicas and DJ Seb Fontaine. On Sunday, Cyrus posted video from a rehearsal, which featured Dance Moms star Jojo Siwa.
On Tuesday morning, Miley Cyrus appeared on the Today show on Channel Nine to promote the concert. “This isn’t something I could do from home,” she said. “This is something that required me to physically go and connect with the Australian people that have always just been so welcoming to me.”
Not a party in the US... @MileyCyrus had a chat to us about her upcoming trip down under, headlining the World Tour Bushfire Relief charity concert. #9Today pic.twitter.com/hzFhC6qlEL
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 9, 2020
The Bushfire Relief concert was part of World Tour: a series of concerts organised by Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s company Westbrook Inc, in conjunction with Apollo World Touring and Australian renewable energy company AgBioEn.
Set to raise funds for the WWF Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, the Melbourne event is a co-production with Australian promoter TEG Dainty.
Miley Cyrus is just the latest artist to have Australian tour dates impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. The Australian composer Brett Dean was diagnosed with Covid-19 last week, leading him to cancel a major appearance at the Adelaide festival; and Shanghai Ballet’s tour for Queensland Ballet was cancelled as a result of the travel bans.
The musician Ziggy Marley and author Lindy West have also recently cancelled Australian appearances, due to “unforeseen family responsibilities” in the case of the former, and “personal reasons” for the latter.
