Edinburgh Summer Sessions 2022: Lionel Richie cancels Princes Street Gardens gig

Lionel Richie has pulled the plug on his open-air gig in Edinburgh this summer.

US singer Lionel Richie has cancelled his summer gig in Edinburgh due to Covid.

The US singer confirmed today all of his ‘Hello’ summer tour dates across the UK and Europe – which included a gig at Princes Street Gardens as part of the Edinburgh Summer Sessions – have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Richie, whose biggest hits include Hello, All Night Long and Dancing On The Ceiling, was due to perform in the Capital on August 7.

Sharing the news on his official Twitter page on Tuesday, former Commodores frontman Richie wrote: “As Covid and its variants continue to impact the world, I have decided to hold off on my European tour this summer. The most important thing to me is the health of my fans, band and crew.

“I hope you all understand and I hope to see you very soon when we can all gather safely.

“Please visit individual festival/event websites for further information and details on how to collect refunds.”

The ‘Hello’ tour was originally set to take place in 2020, before being rescheduled to last summer.

Confirming the cancellation on Facebook, Edinburgh Summer Sessions wrote: “Unfortunately, Lionel Richie will no longer perform at cinch presents Edinburgh Summer Sessions this August.

“All ticket buyers will receive an email from their point of purchase with further information on refunds.”

Richie’s gig was due to be the first of this year’s Edinburgh Summer Sessions.

The gigs in Princes Street Gardens from Michael Kiwanuka (August 8) Simply Red (August 9), Tom Jones (August 10 and 11), Simple Minds (August 12) and Travis (August 14) are all due to go ahead.

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