Morrissey has cancelled a concert in Valencia, citing sleep deprivation caused by the city's Las Fallas festival. A statement on his website said that 'any form of sleep or rest throughout the night was impossible due to festival noise/loud techno singing/megaphone announcements' after he reached his hotel late on Wednesday following a two-day journey by road.
The statement described the experience as leaving Morrissey in a 'catatonic state', and confirmed that he would not perform. His team insisted the concert had not been cancelled but that 'circumstances made it impossible to perform', and the singer produced recordings of the noise to justify the decision. The cheapest tickets for the scheduled show at Valencia's Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia cost €103 (£88).
In a later communique, Morrissey described his hotel as an 'indescribable hell' and said it would take him 'one year to recover'. The singer is still due to perform in Zaragoza and Seville on 14 and 16 March respectively.
Morrissey has a history of cancellations, including in Spain. Last year he cancelled a concert in Madrid’s botanical gardens, and in 2004 he cancelled at short notice for the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim near Valencia, citing 'technical difficulties with his private aeroplane'. His career cancellations total more than 400 shows, according to the fanzine We Heart Music.
