US rapper Ice Spice has been called out after she arrived 25 minutes late for her scheduled 30-minute set at Brisbane’s Wildlands festival on New Year’s Eve. Fans, who had paid up to $242 for the event, were left disappointed as the rapper’s performance was cut short. Ice Spice was supposed to start her set at 10:30 pm, but she didn’t take the stage until 11:00 pm, leaving just six minutes of performance before the mic was cut off at 11:01 pm.
Brenton Larney, a music podcaster at the event, described the moment as a collective sigh from the crowd. Fans had been waiting for almost an hour just to hear two songs, which weren’t even some of her top hits. Larney blamed Ice Spice for unprofessionalism; he said that she didn’t seem to care about the people’s frustration towards her performance. “She didn’t want to be there,” he said. As she left the stage, Ice Spice was seen laughing and brushing off a bouquet of flowers presented to her for her birthday.
Mia Sims, a 20-year-old dance teacher from the Gold Coast, was among those who echoed these sentiments. She said she had been in the mosh pit for over an hour to get a good spot, only for Ice Spice to perform for a mere six minutes. “It kind of seemed like a joke,” Sims said. Fans were left wondering why the rapper didn’t post any apology or address the situation on her social media, leaving many feeling disrespected.
The Wildlands festival responded with a statement expressing the frustration with the delayed arrival of Ice Spice, but then clarified that there was a curfew for the event. The festival had to ensure that Chase & Status performed on time for the New Year’s Eve Countdown, which led to the shortened set.
It was not the first time Ice Spice arrived late for a performance. It had reportedly been an hour late on another festival she was performing on that week which resulted in being an hour delayed for Chase & Status. Unless she changes this behaviour, Brisbane backlash will definitely make it so Ice Spice isn’t invited to perform at future Australian festivals. Already, many fans and industry insiders have started doubting her commitment to the Australian leg of her tour and the likelihood of future performances.
