THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, June 26, 1995 TAG: 9506260124
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
Exhaustion and illness forced rhythm and blues musician Barry White to cancel his appearance Sunday at the 28th annual Hampton Jazz Festival.
The announcement that White wouldn't show drew a storm of boos from disgruntled concertgoers who had paid more than $30 a ticket.
The singer complained of exhaustion ``and not feeling particularly well,'' Sunday morning, said his production manager Bill Reeves. White had played a show Saturday night in Charlotte before arriving at his Norfolk hotel and then traveling to Hampton Coliseum, the festival site.
``He felt he couldn't perform,'' Reeves said. ``He's been touring since February in Europe, Africa and now America. He's had a pretty exhausting schedule since February.''
Reeves said he didn't know how sick White was , but that the singer had returned to his hotel and would travel to Augusta, Ga., his next scheduled tour stop.
Word of the cancellation came from the stage about 5 p.m., shortly after White was to have begun his set. Thousands of fans streamed to ticket windows in the Coliseum lobby to have their stubs validated for full refunds.
But there was not enough cash available to give full refunds immediately, said festival director John Scott.
He described the refund policy as ``beyond fair,'' noting that attendees already had heard one scheduled act, the Duke Ellington Orchestra with singer Cleo Laine and saxophonist Johnny Dankworth. Full refunds will be made during the next month.
Validated ticket stubs may be returned for refunds over the next 29 days to P.O. Box 7309, Hampton, Va. 23666.
KEYWORDS: HAMPTON JAZZ FESTIVAL REFUND CANCELLATIONA by CNB