Rapper Ice Spice faced significant criticism when she showed up almost half an hour late for her highly awaited New Year’s Eve show at the Wildlands Festival in Queensland, Australia.
The “Barbie World” singer, who was the headline act, was scheduled to perform at the Brisbane Showgrounds on Tuesday evening.
However, fans of Ice Spice were left frustrated when the rapper showed up 25 minutes late for her 30-minute set.
Article continues below advertisement
Ice Spice Shows Up Late To Her Performance
Things didn’t improve once Ice Spice eventually began her performance. Just a mere five minutes into her set, the event organizers decided to abruptly cut her microphone because of the strict 12:30 a.m. event curfew. Even though she seemed to keep performing, her vocals were muted as the stage was swiftly being cleared for the next performer.
Amidst the dissatisfied crowd expressing their disapproval with boos, the artist behind “Deli” was observed pacing nervously on the stage. She ended the set by briefly flashing a peace sign before leaving without saying a word to the audience.
Disappointed fans, some of whom had traveled up to six hours and spent over $350 per ticket, took to social media to express their anger.
Article continues below advertisement
Video Of Ice Spice Being Booed Off Stage Goes Viral
Video footage of the brief and chaotic performance quickly went viral, with many questioning the lack of professionalism and the festival’s time management.
“Being late is just unprofessional, in the UK we have curfews for music so if someone runs over the mic is just cut, I’ve never seen an artist here be late cos we just don’t allow it,” one person expressed in the comments section.
“Let’s respect everybody’s time and money,” another said.
“I love that she looks like she wants to cry,” a third expressed.
Article continues below advertisement
The Venue Releases A Statement
In response to the backlash, Wildlands Festival organizers issued a statement on Instagram addressing the situation:
“We understand that Ice Spice’s delayed arrival caused some disappointment. Managing a stacked festival means that we have to be extremely firm with set times. We had a strict curfew of 12:30 and need to ensure that the final act went on stage on time, so everyone could enjoy the New Year’s Eve countdown.”
“She’s disrespectful, so good on Wildlands,” one user said after hearing the venue’s response.
“All venues should do this when artists are late,” another said.
“Them pulling the plug on her was iconic,” a third commented.
Article continues below advertisement
Crowd Goers Speak Out
Gold Coast music podcaster and journalist Brenton Larney was among the audience for the brief six-minute performance.
“At 11.01pm – they gave her an extra minute … – they cut the mic and you heard the collective sigh from the crowd,” he told The Guardian. “They’d been waiting for a while and they get two songs? So that was a bit ridiculous and it was just really disrespectful how she walked off, she was laughing they tried to give her flowers for her birthday and she just shrugged them off.”
He noted that Ice Spice seemed subdued and gave off the impression that “she didn’t want to be there.”
“It was just really disrespectful to see, especially with all the cancellations and stuff we’ve had in the Australian music scene,” he said. “It didn’t help.”
Article continues below advertisement
Fans Respond To Ice Spice’s Attitude
Mia Sims, a 20-year-old dance teacher from the Gold Coast, shared that she and many others had arrived 30 minutes early to secure a good spot in the mosh pit before Ice Spice’s scheduled performance. As a result, fans were pressed together for nearly an hour in total, all for what turned out to be an extremely brief set.
“And she came out and played two songs – and they weren’t even two of her most popular songs,” Sims said. “It kind of seemed like a bit of a joke, like she didn’t really care that much and especially, like, she hasn’t posted anything on her socials or apologized. So I couldn’t imagine being one of her biggest fans and that happening. I’d be pretty devastated”.