ISTANBUL, Turkey (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The Istanbul leg of the July 7th global Live Earth concerts has been scrapped after the non-appearance of promised government support and a failure to attract sponsorship from big business.
Organizers are now seeking a site to erect giant screens in the Turkish city to take TV feeds from the remaining eight shows around the world.
After reports of the lack of funding turned up in the Turkish press, Purple Concerts, promoter of the Turkish show, declined to issue an official statement but said that it was still willing to stage the concert if it could drum up government support. A U.K. spokesman for Live Earth said in a statement, “The Turkey show has been restructured and changed because of unforeseen logistical problems in Istanbul.”
Billboard reports that local businesses have shied away from sponsoring the show for fear of criticism from environmental groups who may accuse their factories of helping stoke global warming. Politicians are also preoccupied with the Turkish general election, to be held on July 22nd.
All other concerts appear to be moving forward without a hitch. German organizers announced over the weekend that pop superstars Shakira and Enrique Iglesias have been added to the Hamburg concert line up. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
