Russian fan sues Kylie Minogue’s promoter
Published 12 March, 2009, 10:25
A Russian fan, unhappy with the pop diva’s St Petersburg show on her world tour last year, is suing the Russian promoter for the ‘failed concert’.
With dozen of hits, costumes by John Galliano and costly stage sets, it would be hard to imagine how Kylie Minogue, after delighting a million fans in four continents, managed to upset Stanislav from St. Petersburg.
Stanislav is suing Kylie's Russian promoter for $5,000 for what he describes as a “failed show”. He says the concert in his city paled in comparison to her performances in Europe and was not worth the hundred euros he paid for the ticket.
“The day after the concert the promoter explained that the show was cut because of the construction of the building. So I presume the organizers had known in advance and didn't notify the audience. They actually shifted the responsibility and commercial risks from their shoulders into my pocket,” Stanislav Pazaratskas said.
 Kylie Minogue’s X 2008 world tour had incredible success |
Kylie presented her ‘Like a Drug’ hit song quite differently in Moscow than in St. Petersburg. In the capital the singer emerged on a giant skull which critics believed to be a symbol of cancer – the disease which she beat.
Two days later in St. Petersburg the performance missed some key elements and apparently lost some of its spectacle, but the promoters who hosted the show say they weren't to blame.
“There are no two similar concerts, especially when it comes to the world's top singers. Every Kylie Minogue show is unique. I can only say that the stage set was carried out according to standing orders. There were a lot of costume changes, a lot of dance elements. Stages in different countries are different and it's up to a singer to choose between different versions of the show,” explained Mikhail Suvorov, NCA concert promoter representative.
 Kylie performing her ‘Like a Drug’ hit song |
Surprisingly, unlike the Moscow stadium built in 1980, the recently constructed Ice Palace in St. Petersburg turned out to be not big enough for that skull.
Faites votre jeu, ladies and gentlemen!
Experienced lawyers say it's a pity advertisement is often deceptive, but believe Stanislav’s chances to win his case are poor.
“To me his chances are close to nothing. The only agreement that a client has with the company which organizes the show is a ticket, and I’ve never seen the ticket saying that the artist has to perform this or that,” said lawyer Aleksandr Dobrovinsky.
Many in Russia hope that regardless of whether Stanislav wins the case or not, it could establish a precedent and encourage promoters to treat fans with more respect, especially when the average price of tickets is three or four times higher than in Europe or the US.
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