Charli XCX Adds Second London Date, Then Announces She Will Perform It Alone in an Empty Arena to Honour Her Truth
Pop star Charli XCX, citing emotional exhaustion, will play an extra O2 Arena show to no audience, with support act Audrey Hobert also banned from attending.
Charli XCX has added a second London date to her 2027 'Music, Fashion, Film' tour and immediately announced that she will perform it to a completely empty O2 Arena, citing her well-documented need to honour her truth as an artist.
The singer, real name Charlotte Aitchison, said the extra show on February 20 was added due to phenomenal demand, but that letting anyone inside would violate the emotional and physical limits she has repeatedly described. «I am not one of those human beings who can handle an audience, and I never have been,» she said in a statement. «This is the only way I can give the people a second night while remaining true to my truth.»
Under the arrangement, ticketholders will be admitted to a holding pen in the O2 car park, where they will watch a live feed of the empty stage on a single 12-metre screen. Audrey Hobert, the support act, has been asked to remain in her hotel and not perform, as her presence would make the evening feel populated.
The tour now runs to seven dates across Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, London, Amsterdam and Paris. Promoters have begun selling «empty arena» merchandise, including binoculars designed to see nothing at greater distance. A second empty show in Paris is under discussion, with the Accor Arena expected to be cleared of all staff, including security, by 6pm.
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