Barry White Not At Fault For Aussie Problems, Manager Says

12/02/2000 10:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Kastle

(12/2/00, 10 a.m. ET) - Barry White's manager has responded to the criticism leveled at the singer after a recent show in Sydney, Australia. Reports out of Sydney said White arrived late for a show on November 23, that he kept his back to part of the audience during the concert, and that audio problems ruined the show for many in the crowd. Manager Ned Shankman said that White usually controls all the technical aspects of his shows, but that the gig in question was being handled by the local promoter, who did an awful job in setting up the stage. However, the problems were corrected in time for White's second Sydney concert, and the rest of the shows have gone off without a hitch.

Shankman also denied that White was late to the gig, again blaming the local promoter. Shankman said the promoter didn't announce that the Love Unlimited Orchestra was the opening act, and that White would come on after its set, which led to the audience's confusion.

Shankman added, "It's unfortunate that such a series of misunderstandings beyond Barry's control resulted in such widespread and mean-spirited coverage. Barry was actually in fine form and fully expected the Sydney concerts to be exceptional. As evidenced in the glowing reviews of the following evening's show, Barry was never less than stellar for his Australian fans."

White's got three shows left Down Under – Monday (December 4) in Adelaide; Wednesday (December 6) in Sydney; and Saturday (December 9) in Gold Coast. There are no North American dates scheduled at this time.

-- Bruce Simon, New York

Got news tips, comments, or questions? Send them to newstips@launch.com.