Savage flu strikes down Kid Laroi’s Melbourne tour

The Kid Laroi cancelled his Melbourne shows on doctor’s orders after being struck down by the flu, which also hit members of his entourage.

The Kid Laroi has sensationally postponed both his Melbourne concerts at Rod Laver Arena on doctor’s orders due to the flu.

The virus has also struck down several members of his touring team.

It comes after waiting fans were told the news at Rod Laver Arena 35 minutes after the Aussie musician was scheduled to appear at his sold-out show.

The teen star attempted to take the stage on Friday night in Melbourne but was unable to perform due to the severity of the illness.

“I wanted to perform very badly, so we called the doctors and had them bring an IV drip and some extra stuff to try and help,” he said in a social media post.

I hate how people are giving @thekidlaroi crap for being sick. I understand the dissapointment and anger, but to flat out be rude to him because he was sick is stupid, it happens. It’s his first tour, maybe he was stressed? Dehydrated? Had food poisoning? His health matters.

— Jadën Truckël (@JadenTruckel) June 3, 2022

“As the night went on, it got worse, to the point where it was hard for me to stand up and go to the bathroom.

“I was getting super light-headed and my body felt super heavy.

“I promise you with all my heart that I gave everything in me to try and get up on that stage tonight.

“This is my first ever tour and I absolutely hate that I’ve had to do this, especially so last minute as it’s not fair on you guys, but at the end of the day I have to put my health first and I would be lying to you if I told you I was okay to come up and perform for you.

“I love you all more than anything in the entire world and again, I am so-so unbelievably f---ing sorry.”

The Kid Laroi cancelled his Melbourne show at the last minute on Friday night. Picture: Getty Images for iHeartRadio

On Saturday, the 18-year-old posted another message to fans: “I love you all more than life itself, and it kills me that I have to postpone tonight.

“This is my first time touring and I’m discovering lots of new things about my body that I didn’t know before.

“I’m doing everything I can now to take care of myself and make sure I’m good to come back and give you all the show that you deserve.”

Both Melbourne shows will be rescheduled to next week. The June 3 show will be rescheduled to June 10, while the June 4 show will be rescheduled to June 12.

All existing tickets remain valid for the rescheduled shows without need for exchange.

The Kid Laroi left thousands of fans waiting at Rod Laver Arena. Picture: WireImage

Patrons unable to attend the new dates should contact the agency they purchased from.

In an email posted to ticket holders late on Friday, promoters said: “We’re working through new event dates, and these will be communicated as soon as possible. Please keep your ticket whilst we work through new dates.”

The Kid Laroi on Saturday also scrapped a planned appearance at a Melbourne streetwear store.

The pop singer was scheduled to appear at Culture Kings at 1pm.

But the store announced on its Instagram page: “PSA, unfortunately today’s in-store appearance with @thekidlaroi has been postponed. We hope he has a speedy recovery. Stay tuned for a new date soon.”

live footage of the kid laroi concert getting postponed 40 minutes after he was meant to be onstage xx pic.twitter.com/KX7klStWu2

— lila (@ilballodellalil) June 3, 2022

How furious fans reacted

The cancelled show, which was announced almost an hour after a Welcome To Country address, caused an angry backlash inside the venue.

The capacity crowd jeered, booed, and chanted “bulls---”.

Before the night turned sour, the long wait for The Kid Laroi sparked drinking games, with at least 30 concertgoers skolling beers, or doing “shoeys” as the cheering crowd egged them on.

Some punters were pelted with beer as frustrated fans threw ale-filled cups across the arena.

The music star was scheduled to take the stage at Rod Laver Arena at 9pm Friday, but pulled the pin at 9.35pm as a capacity-filled arena waited for him to appear.

@thekidlaroi bruh you serious? Fkn cancelling the show 40 mins after it was meant to start, slack on your end bro, should of said something earlier 🤬

— ViperrGod (@ViperrGod) June 3, 2022

look I’m no musician myself, but surely you’d realise way before 40 minutes after your were supposed to start ur gig that you were too sick to go on??? kid laroi breaking lots of hearts tonight.

— Tricia Mifsud (@triciamifsud) June 3, 2022

Attendees were frustrated that the singer waited until after the show start-time commenced to cancel the performance.

An announcement that the rapper would not appear due to illness sparked a barrage of furious jeering and boos.

Fun turned to fury after social media posts revealed The Kid Laroi made a surprise appearance at CBD club, 170 Russell, on Thursday.

The booing and mocking continued as the crowd left the arena.

The Kid Laroi took to Instagram later on Friday night to apologise for the cancellation.

The rapper has had sold-out gigs in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.

The Kid Laroi made a surprise appearance at a Melbourne nightclub on Thursday. Picture: Instagram

He has also been busy offstage, turning up at McDonalds, a suburban takeaway, the roulette wheel, and a drop-in centre for those in need.

The Kid Laroi is a pop superstar with two billion streams, and Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone on speed dial.

Laroi, born Charlton Howard exploded globally in 2020 with his debut album F--- Love, and hit singles Without You, with Cyrus, and Stay, with Bieber.

A proud indigenous man with Kamilaroi heritage, he grew in Redfern, near central Sydney.

Originally published as Savage flu strikes down Kid Laroi’s Melbourne tour