Sir Paul McCartney has strongly criticised the Italian government over an “outrageous” decree preventing concertgoers from getting refunds on gigs that were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The former Beatle had been due to perform in Naples on Tuesday and in Lucca on Saturday as part of his Freshen Up tour.
He wrote on Facebook that when his shows across Europe were cancelled on 7 May, it was in the belief that fans would receive a refund. While this was the case in the other countries the singer had been scheduled to visit, a decree passed by the Italian government offered only vouchers for scrapped music events.
“It is outrageous that those who have paid for their tickets are not getting their money back,” McCartney wrote. “Without the fans there would be no live entertainment. We strongly disagree with what the Italian government are doing … the organiser of our shows must do the right thing here.
“We are all extremely disappointed the shows could not take place and this is a real insult to the fans.”
The decree was passed under the recommendation of Assomusica, an Italian live music promoter, with vouchers valid for 18 months.
D’Alessandro & Galli, the agency that promoted McCartney’s concerts in Italy, said the singer had been aware of the voucher plan before the gigs were cancelled.
“We fully understand the artist’s bitterness as he cared for these two concerts that would have marked his return to Italy, as well as the displeasure of fans for receiving a voucher instead of a full refund,” the company said.
“The formula was established by the Italian government to deal with an unprecedented crisis that risked giving a fatal blow to the live music industry and the approximately 400,000 workers who risk not being able to work for a year.”
Dario Franceschini, the culture minister, said the intention was for vouchers to be used for gigs held by the same artist. If no future dates were set, then people would be entitled to a refund.
“I’m sure parliament will be able to intervene to remove any interpretative doubt on the rule,” he said.
