Disappointed fans head for exits after Cher cancels show

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This article was published 22/05/2019 (2699 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More than an hour past her scheduled start time, just as the groans and boos from the audience had reached their peak each time a song that was not Cher blasted through the speakers, a representative from Cher’s tour came out on stage and alerted the frustrated crowd the singer had become unwell and would not be performing Tuesday night.

Disappointed fans quickly spilled out of the arena; approximately 9,500 people had turned up to see the 73-year-old icon on her current Here We Go Again tour, in support of her new album of ABBA covers, Dancing Queen.

Fans took to social media to voice their disappointment, with some saying they travelled hours to Winnipeg to see Cher perform.

Ticketholders are being asked to keep an eye on Live Nation’s social media pages, as they plan to announce a rescheduled date in the next day or two.

No other information was available Tuesday night.

Fans did get to see some excellent music earlier in the night, at least. Iconic American guitarist, songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers, along with the rest of his eight-piece soul/R&B band, Chic, pumped the arena full of funky beats and an ample amount of energy to kick things off. Their set included some of the groups most famous hits including Dance, Dance, Dance and I Want Your Love and Le Freak, filled out with jaw-dropping solos from horns, guitars and the two incredible female vocalists, Kimberly Davis and Folami.

Early on, the Grammy Award-winning Rodgers did a medley of his No. 1 hits, and what a collection it is; he wrote I’m Comin’ Out and Upside Down for Diana Ross, We Are Family for Sister Sledge, produced David Bowie’s Let’s Dance (which, when he played it, literally had people dancing in the aisles), Duran Duran’s Notorious and Madonna’s Like a Virgin. Basically, this 66-year-old is responsible for 80 per cent of every wedding-social playlist, which is kind of an astounding thought.

Rodgers then shared a story about his 2010 diagnosis of an aggressive form of cancer, and explained how throwing himself into his songwriting and touring saved his life despite a grim prognosis.

He is now cancer-free, and celebrated this moment in the set with another massive hit he co-wrote, Get Lucky, made famous by Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams.

Chic closed out their nearly 60-minute set with Good Times, one of the most-sampled songs of all time. This set was truly the best possible way to open things, and, as it turns out, the only fun fans would have at Bell MTS Place on Tuesday night.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel