Nicole Scherzinger fans divided after star 'offers no apology' for shortened show

Some fans who attended Nicole Scherzinger's sold out Royal Albert Hall concert last night (October 7) have hit out at the former Pussycat Doll, claiming her performance was marred by a late showing with "no apology" and a much shorter stage time than anticipated.

The 47-year-old's show was dubbed "a very special one-off performance" and marked her first major solo gig in the UK for 13 years. The concert venue gushed: "An Evening With Nicole Scherzinger promises to be a triumphant return to the UK for the singer – a chance for fans to get the full view of her career up to now as she reminisces on countless musical theatre sensations and her reign as a powerhouse pop diva."

However, technical issues seemed to blight the evening. Nicole's performance was delayed for a short period of time, which the Mirror understands to have been less than an hour.

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But the disruption seemed to leave a sour taste in the mouths of some, who were unable to stay for the entire show due to the delays.

Taking to TikTok during the event, however, fan Chris Jones expressed his confusion after claiming Nicole was late to appear on stage. "Performance delayed by 1hr," he began in a caption.

Chris continued: "Sings for 25 mins then decided it's time for an interval (currently at 30 mins). I'm assuming she's coming back?"

He later posted a follow-up clip in which he claimed: "Worst £150 ever spent at a concert. Those 25 mins weren’t even all singing - just talking about all the awards she’s won. I feel for the people who have travelled far for this."

Chris also alleged there was "no apology" for Nicole's late arrival, before confirming that the singer did indeed return to the stage "for another 25 mins" prior to "disappearing off stage again."

He closed: "Choir awkwardly [tried] to engage the crowd as everyone tries to figure out if the show is over or not."

Other concert-goers appeared to be annoyed by the situation too, including one TikTok user who admitted: "I left after the first half.

"Didn’t know how long the interval was going to be and had a train to catch. Cost me £4.50 per minute for what I saw. Used to be a big fan but this was just not acceptable. No apology, no explanation."

Similarly, a second shared: "We left early in the second half after her 35 minute interval. She talked for a good few minutes and kept reminding the audience of her Olivier and Tony awards between songs.

"Only came to London to see her, what a let down. No apologies for the late start to the show or the extended break. What a waste of money!"

A third person fumed: "Total let down we left after 30 min interval wait along with lots of others. Complete waste of money have written in for refund."

Whilst a fourth fan pondered: "I don't understand how artists can be late when performing in such big shows... doesn't the venue have strict rules? I am sure Royal Albert Hall ain't cheap."

Others defended the star, however. One said: "She was late! Yes - but there was technical issues. Soundcheck finished late, house was late opening. So everything was delayed. Show was supposed to start at 19:30, but the meet and greet didn’t start until 19:20.

"Then act 1 was 20:20-20:55, interval until 21:30, finished 22:30. Original timings was 19:30-21:30 including the 30 minute interval."

Another penned in support: "Apparently the delay was technical, not intentional and she performed an extra hour to make up for it."

And a third pointed out: "She doesn’t have any filler performers for her breaks (most likely her costume changes)."

On Nicole's Instagram account, meanwhile, one fan confessed she was divided by the night's events.

She said: "Nicole, your voice was absolutely incredible at the concert last night - truly spine-tingling! It was the 4th time I’ve seen you live over the years, and your vocals never fail to amaze me. You’re such an exceptional performer, and I’ve been a huge fan for 20 years."

However, she continued: "That said, I did want to share a bit of honest feedback. The late start to the show meant it ran much later than expected, and sadly I had to leave before the end to catch my last train home. I travelled over 100 miles to be there - and I’m sure many others travelled even further - so it was really disappointing to miss the finale.

"I think even a brief acknowledgement or apology for the delay would have gone a long way with the audience. It’s such a shame, because instead of being able to fully relax and enjoy the whole performance, I found myself anxiously checking the time. I’m still so glad I got to experience part of your amazing show, but I do think some lessons could be learned from this. It just left a bit of a sour note on what should have been an unforgettable night."

Representatives for Scherzinger declined to comment when contacted.

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