Azealia Banks cancels gig in ‘racist’ Brisbane, vows never to return

Jordan Hirst 14 December 2022

US rapper Azealia Banks performs on stage in 2017 — Image: Anton Mak/Flickr

US rapper Azealia Banks has blasted Australia after cancelling her Brisbane concert at the very last minute and vowing never to return to our shores.

The performer’s Australian tour got off to a nightmare start last week as her Brisbane concert was rescheduled and her Melbourne concert postponed with just hours’ notice. Promoters cited “visa issues” at the time.

Then on Tuesday, Azealia Banks announced on Instagram her Brisbane concert at The Tivoli that night was also cancelled, citing her past experiences in the city.

“I’m so sorry you guys – actually I’m not sorry – but listen: last time I was in Brisbane and y’all threw s__t on the stage and damn near almost f___ing hit me in the face with a f___ing bottle of soda or whatever that s__t was,” Banks said in the video.

“That was the most racist, most demoralising experience of my f___ing life and right now I’m on a really good track.”

The rapper claimed Sydney and Melbourne are “the only cities I really want to play.”

“Y’all got a whole different culture around here. I’m too far away from home,” she said.

“I am a beautiful black woman and I am not going to get in front of some audience of white people for them to be throwing shit at me.

“I’m so not sorry. I’m not sorry at all. Brisbane, y’all are just going to have to take the L and smoke it.”

Promoter says concert cancelled due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’

Later, Azealia Bank appeared to suggest she would perform the Brisbane gig if security measures were beefed up.

“Any and everything that can be considered a projective must be checked in at coat check,” she said on Instagram.

“No keys, no coins, no hair brushes, no vape pens, no lighters. No drinks on the dancefloor. The minute something stupid happens I’m leaving.”

But then Azealia later claimed her safety concerns weren’t met.

On Tuesday, Brisbane fans were left confused by mixed messages about the gig over the course of the day. Just hours before doors were set to open, the concert was finally officially cancelled.

Production company Point Productions informed ticketholders “with great sadness” the concert was definitively cancelled “due to unforeseen circumstances” with refunds for ticketholders.

“Point Productions would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused, this has been well out of our control,” the company said.

‘This will be my last time touring Australia’

Azealia Banks’ concert at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney went ahead on Sunday.

However on Instagram, she vowed to never return to Australia to perform again and called the dates her “farewell tour”.

“After this run this will be my very last time touring Australia,” she said.

“This place makes me utterly miserable and I’m too black and beautiful to have a bunch of white people in my face playing with me over their WEAK ASS CURRENCY.

“It’s too physically taxing for $0.61 on the USD to waste my time with this stressful bulls__t.”

In 2013, Azealia Banks ended a Melbourne festival gig after 90 seconds after a punter threw a can of beer at her.

A few years later, the rapper slammed Australian audiences as “terrible crowds to play for” and “violent and belligerent”.