Fat As Butter festival organisers have released a statement after U.S. rapper, Flo Rida, failed to appear for his performance at the 2011 festival in Newcastle on Saturday. At the time his mysterious absence was put down to ‘transport issues’ but subsequent reports have suggested that he in fact chucked a ‘hissy fit’ about his accommodation in Sydney and then refused to travel to the festival.
Read the statement below:
We are extremely disappointed that Flo Rida decided not to fulfill his commitment to appear at the Fat As Butter festival on Saturday, but we are more disappointed that he let his fans down. We worked overtime to secure his performance, in the months leading up to the festival as well as on the day of the festival itself. Fat As Butter was one of the first shows locked in for his Australian tour and was set to be the largest in terms of audience attendance.
What happened on Saturday was completely out of Fat As Butter’s control. We sympathise with and share in the frustrations of fans and festival patrons who were so disappointed by Flo Rida’s non-appearance. We were hanging on with great hope that he would perform, and went to great lengths to make contingency plans in the hope that he would show up late. However, the festival had to go on, so we delivered the news that Flo Rida would not be appearing as soon as we got word the he had definitely cancelled.
Fat As Butter had nothing to do with Flo Rida’s accommodation bookings in Sydney. We were only responsible for his transport to Newcastle, which we had arranged and had waiting for him, as agreed to. We fulfilled all of our obligations in regards to Flo Rida’s booking and appearance.
As much as we are saddened by the situation regarding Flo Rida, we were more thrilled by the awesome line up of performers who did take to the stage at this years’ Fat As Butter festival. All of the artists on the day, including international rap legends Naughty By Nature, Aussie rock giants, The Living End, indie powerhouse, The Jezabels, and the ever-amazing Empire Of The Sun, did an absolutely phenomenal job of blowing the crowds away.
We are glad to report that it was a largely hassle free day with the majority of festival goers on their best behaviour, even when we had to deliver the news about Flo Rida. With a fresher festival site and more room to play than ever before, the strong crowd enjoyed every minute of the festival. We want to thank all of the artists and punters for their support, and for making this one of the best Fat As Butter festivals yet!
