UPDATED 7/4/16: An article from the New York Daily News claims that the reports of Rihanna causing Lollapalooza Colombia's cancelation are untrue. According to the article, an unnamed insider says that Rihanna was invited to perform at the event, but was unavailable and never made it onto the bill in the first place. The insider claims that the reports of her cancelation due to fears of the Zika virus were simply incorrect.
See below for original story.
South American fans of live music are in for a bit of disappointment Saturday. Lollapalooza Colombia has been forced to cancel their two-day event this year. The reason? Headliner Rihanna dropped out of the lineup due to fears of the rampant Zika virus and organizers were simply unable to find a suitable artist to take her place, Consequence of Sound reports, according to La Tercera.
This year was Lollapalooza's first foray into Colombia. The event was announced last year following the unmitigated success of their recent festivals in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. Acts set to play in Bogota this year alongside Rihanna included Lana Del Rey, Wiz Khalifa, Disclosure, Anderson .Paak, among others.
Lollapalooza Colombia isn't the first major South American event to be rocked by the effects of the virulent Zika outbreak. The disease has cast a long pall over the Summer Olympics as well, which are set to kick off next month in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Many athletes and nations are questioning if participation in the games is worth the risk of catching Zika.
The Lollapalooza name is set to hit Europe later this fall, with a Berlin iteration taking place on September 10. That is, of course, in addition to the flagship festival, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary over four days at Chicago's Grant Park later this month. The slate of artists for that event is stacked from top to bottom and includes the likes of Radiohead, Future, Vince Staples, J. Cole, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and LCD Soundsystem, just to name a very few.
According to Consequence of Sound, event organizers are hoping to host a Lollapalooza Colombia again sometime in the future. Full refunds are being issued to anyone who purchased a ticket to the shuttered event.
