Tour promoter Bizarro blasts Azealia Banks’ ‘disgraceful’ conduct throughout Australia tour

A tour company involved in Azealia Banks’ rollercoaster tour Down Under has slammed the rapper as the most “disgraceful” client they have worked with.

A tour company involved in Azealia Banks’ rollercoaster tour Down Under has slammed the rapper as the worst client they have worked with.

The New York-based 212 rapper’s Australian and New Zealand tour has been plagued by scandal, with last-minute show cancellations, social media outbursts and wildly varied sets.

Her Australian touring commitments are now over — with the star having vowed never to visit our shores again.

Tour promoter Bizarro said Banks arrived late to several commitments throughout the tour and repeatedly hurled spanners in the works by causing confusion on social media.

Bizarro said Banks ran to her own schedule and appeared willing to “burn down every show of the run”.

The label confirmed it had paid the international artist, slamming her in a lengthy statement provided to the media.

“Whilst we have paid our fees to Azealia’s touring agent, we have also been led to believe that the majority of her tour has been paid to her personally in full, despite her willingness to burn down every show of the run,” Bizarro said in a statement.

“Her slanderous claims made against us personally as individuals and scammers are entirely false. Whilst we don’t generally expect contracted artists to assist us in promoting their shows, we certainly haven’t ever had an artist actively work against us like this.

“We were not naive to Azealia’s reputation, but we were excited by her as an artist and felt confident that these were over sensationalised by the media and that she meant well. The lack of care she shows to her team, the people she works with, and her fans was truly disappointing to see.

“She was not present for any press opportunities, she failed to arrive at any event in a timely manner, she willingly posted inaccurate, disrespectful and slanderous content online, and her lack of care and appreciation for her fans, who make such an event possible, was disgraceful.”

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A tour company involved in Azealia Banks’ rollercoaster tour Down Under has slammed the rapper as the worst client they have worked with.

Problems with the Azealia Banks tour began with the first show, at Auckland’s Spark Arena, as fans who’d paid more than $90 for tickets fumed when her headlining set turned out to be just five songs long.

The next day, her planned Melbourne concert was postponed mere hours before the doors were due to open, with Banks slamming her promoters – who in turn blamed Visa issues for her last-minute inability to make it from New Zealand into Australia.

Fans were left upset when Banks insisted the date wouldn’t be rescheduled, telling them: “I have sh*t to do”.

In fact, the concert did get rescheduled, and went ahead on Sunday night – although Banks arrived onstage almost an hour late and played for just 37 minutes.

On Sunday December 11, Banks performed to a near-sellout crowd at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre and delivered what was definitively the show of the tour: Arriving onstage a mere half-hour behind schedule, she performed an hour-long, 15-song set, busting out all the cult classic hits she’s released over the past decade to a rapturous reception.

A few days later, the wheels came off again, as Banks announced on the morning of her Brisbane show that it would not be going ahead.

Rapper Azealia Banks’ controversial Australian tour has finally come to an end.

The reason? Banks blamed the behaviour of crowds she’d played in the past, telling fans that last time she was in the city she’d been hit by a can while performing.

“I am a beautiful Black woman and I am not going to get in front of some audience of white people for them to be throwing sh*t at me,” she said.

It was unclear why Banks had left it to the morning of the concert to enact the Brisbane ban, given her last show in the city was back in 2013.

The promoters and the venue assured fans the show would, indeed, be going ahead – before finally confirming it was cancelled just a couple of hours before doors were due to open.

As ticketholders complained on social media, Banks let it be known the feeling was mutual – calling this her Australian farewell tour, because the country makes her “utterly miserable”.

It’s not the first time Banks has had a difficult time during an Australian tour. She slammed Aussie crowds after performing at Byron Bay’s Splendour in the Grass back in 2015.

“In all actuality, you guys are terrible crowds to play for,” she tweeted at the time.

“You’re violent and belligerent and I simply will not put my safety at risk. I would’ve walked off stage had someone thrown something.”

— with Nick Bond