Duran Duran US gigs hit by strike
Duran Duran have been forced to rearrange concert dates in New York after stagehands at theatres on Broadway went on strike.

The action hit the final dates of the band's 10-night residency at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, leading to the cancellation of Saturday's gig.

Concerts on Monday and Tuesday have been moved to the Roseland Ballroom.

Tickets for all three dates will be valid. The band's new album Red Carpet Massacre is released this week.

The strike follows three months of negotiations between producers and unions about pay and working conditions, which failed to produce an agreement.

The stagehands, who are responsible for moving scenery and equipment, have set up picket-lines in front of theatres.

As a result, the picket-lines have prevented the band from removing all of their production from the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, and they are working "around the clock" to design a new show for Roseland.

Singer Simon LeBon said: "We are really disappointed that we weren't able to finish up the run on Broadway, which has been in the planning for months.

"However, we are relieved that there was somewhere else available to us so that we don't have to disappoint our fans by not playing."

Bassist John Taylor added: "We know that some people have travelled miles (if not continents) to see us on Broadway and hope that those that were coming on Saturday are going to be able to stick around and come either Monday or Tuesday night.

"The show will be the same show that we have been playing on Broadway for the past 10 days and - although there is no physical way to replicate some of the production elements in Roseland that we had in the other theatre - the key for us is the music and we are intending to make it as special as every other night."

Courtesy BBC