Kanye West's and Lorde's favorite Belgian/French dance-pop star Stromae cancelled his well-attended concert Tuesday night at Myth nightclub in Maplewood just before show time, purportedly due to a "small accident." Fans who left the club in bewilderment remained confused well into Wednesday.
A sign of the singer's greater popularity overseas -- and of a surprisingly poor showing of communication skills by Stromae's publicists and concert organizers -- the incident was widely reported in French media outlets on Wednesday, but fans and media back here on the American prairie did not receive any further explanation or information on refund policies through Wednesday afternoon, despite repeat efforts for more comment and info.
A representative for promoter AEG Live did finally confirm late Wednesday that the show could not be made up during Stromae's limited time in America, and thus refunds will be given. Online ticket buyers may have already gotten their refunds. The accident in question was reportedly a cut to the mouth that required several stitches -- and the doctors said those stitches wouldn't stay in place if he had to sing.
"Stromae: victime d'un accident aux Etats-Unis, il a été hospitalisé!" reads the headline at Public.fr. Some sites, including the French outlet of the Huffington Post, picked up a video clip that a local fan tweeted of the cancellation being announced from the stage at Myth by a member of Stromae's crew (see below).
"He had a small accident this afternoon," the announcer said. "He's fine. He's not in danger, but the show is cancelled. He can't sing tonight."
Many fans took to social media to express the late cancellation, especially frustrating since Myth is about a half-hour drive for folks on the Minneapolis side of town. Here's the tweet with that announcement video, and another from local indie-rap star Astronautalis.
