It looks like The Boulevard is the latest festival to further besmirch the already sullied reputation that hip-hop and R&B festivals have in Australia, with two acts supposedly set for the lineup publicly disassociating themselves from the event.
As Perth Now reports, US rapper Nelly, best known for hits like ‘Hot in Herre’ and ‘Dilemma’ and who toured Australia last year, said he has been “falsely advertised” as a member of The Boulevard Tour, which hits Perth next month.
“It has come to my attention that I’m being falsely advertised as performing in Australia on The Boulevard Tour which is completely untrue,” Nelly tweeted. “I caution anyone who has bought tickets.”
“I am not or have I been associated with this tour. I love Australia and do hope to tour there again soon.” Nelly was featured in promotion for the festival alongside fellow rapper T-Pain and R&B singer August Alsina.
Following Nelly’s damning tweets, the AutoTune master himself likewise revealed that he is not signed on for the festival and will not be performing in Australia. “We were in talks but never received a payment,” T-Pain tweeted Monday.
The Boulevard Tour is scheduled to kick off at Perth’s Taylor Reserve on the Victoria Park foreshore on 19th March, with organisers touting it as “Perth’s newest and only outdoor urban music festival”.
However, it’s not just the acts booked that don’t seem to add up. Whilst a spokesman for Town of Victoria Park confirmed to Perth Now that the area had been booked for The Boulevard Tour, other venues advertised have other gigs already booked.
The tour was advertised to visit the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on 17th March, Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on 18th March, and Sydney’s All Phones Arena on 20th March.
“I am not or have I been associated with this tour. I love Australia and do hope to tour there again soon.”However, Bryan Adams is scheduled to appear at Rod Laver Arena and Madonna is scheduled to perform at All Phones Arena and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on those same dates.
Tickets for The Boulevard are currently still on sale, coming in at $106.10 for general admission and $381.50 for VIP tickets. Meanwhile, VIP cabana packages for up to 10 people are being sold at $5,054.10.
Whilst organisers appear to have wiped any mention of Nelly from the event’s official Facebook page, T-Pain is still being advertised as part of the lineup and organisers recently promised “more announcements this week as we start to reveal the artist line up”.
According to Perth Now, no inquiries or complaints have been lodged at this stage, but Consumer Protection commissioner David Hillyard has warned punters to act with caution when buying event tickets.
“We have the right to expect that what is being promoted will be delivered and the Australian Consumer Law provides an avenue for redress if that is not the case,” he said. “As well as legal protections, there are also ways to protect ourselves.
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“First and foremost, know who you are dealing with. If contact is established via social media platforms or online classifieds you should exercise caution.”
“It is not uncommon for a faceless seller, either overseas or here in Australia, to pretend to be someone they are not, offer something they cannot provide and ignore consumer and criminal laws.”
Speaking to News Corp, a spokesperson for The Boulevard Tour organisers, Fundamental Creative, said the company was in the midst of renegotiating with Nelly and T-Pain. “(We) are hoping to deliver both artists on this tour,” they said.
“Fundamental Creative wants to ensure ticket holders that they will be delivering on the promise of Perth’s newest and only outdoor urban music festival on Saturday 19th March with one of the best RnB and Urban line-ups ever to land on the west coast.”
