Cradle Of Filth’s Latin American tour has hit another roadblock, as the band had to cancel their September 9 performance in Guatemala City. The reason, according to the promoters, was a serious grounding issue at the venue that posed a risk of electrocution to both the band and crew.
Promoter Sergio Roa of Drmrs Entertainment explained in a statement shared by Dani Filth: “Unfortunately, we’re forced to cancel tonight’s show for Cradle Of Filth due to power issues found at the venue. We have done multiple shows at this venue before and had no issues but for some reason, tonight was NOT GROUNDED, tonight we went through an issue that makes extremely dangerous for the band and crew to perform and out together a show as there could be someone literally electroshocked. Safety is the most important for us at this company and we have always made it very clear at all our shows.
“We will try to reschedule this show sometime soon as the time and conditions dictates is safe to perform. Deep apologies to Guatemalan fans. Please be sure the band was there and ready to perform for their fans after so long time not playing there, but the venue difficulties (literally not being grounded) makes it impossible for the band to perform.”
This marks the second cancellation in just a few days, following the band’s scrapped appearance in Panama City on September 6. That show was also called off due to unstable and dangerous power, which had damaged microphones, caused soundboards to cut out, and created a real threat of electric shock on stage. Despite efforts to resolve the problem with a generator, the venue was ultimately deemed unsafe.
These setbacks come at a time when Cradle Of Filth are already under intense public scrutiny. In late August, longtime members Marek “Ashok” Šmerda and Zoë Marie Federoff both exited the group, citing mistreatment and financial exploitation. Filth responded by firing Ashok earlier than his planned departure date, leading to a flurry of statements and counterstatements between both sides.
Even with all the turmoil, the band have promised fans that the remaining dates of The Screaming of the Américas tour will go ahead where conditions allow, stressing that safety remains the top priority.
