Fans
hoping to see rappers Snoop Dogg and Sean "Diddy" Combs live on stage
in the United Kingdom will have to travel elsewhere.The
duo’s One Love Peace tour has been canceled in the UK, despite efforts to keep
the outing afloat and persuade government officials to reverse their decision
to lift their ban on Snoop Dogg and grant him a visa card to enter the country.Snoop
was banned from the country last April, after he and his entourage were involved
in a brawl in London’s Heathrow Airport when they were denied entrance into British
Airways’ first class lounge area. Seven
security guards were injured in the fracas, which also led to Snoop Dogg being
permanently banned from flying British Airways. "P.
Diddy and Snoop were incredibly disappointed and devastated by the news,"
tour spokesperson Celena Aponte told AllHipHop.com in a statement today (Mar.
27). "They really did not want to let fans down this way as the UK was a
planned highlight of the tour. However, this ultimately was a situation out of
their control."The
cancellation marks a low point for the tour, which recently hit a snag after Home
Office Minister John Reid denied Snoop Dogg a visa card and banned him from performing
in the UK. Snoop
Dogg, born Calvin Broadus and Combs were slated to play dates in Cardiff, Manchester,
Glasgow and Nottingham."With
late notice of Snoop being denied a visa, time has ran out and it is too late
reconfigure the show," Aponte said.
The One Love Peace tour will now head to Dublin, Ireland for two shows Saturday
(March 31) and Sunday (April 1) at The Point.Snoop and Diddy are former rivals.
Their appearances in Ireland comes during a historic moment in time for Northern Ireland,
as the major Protestant and Catholic parties have agreed to share power
for the first time in history, starting on May 8. UK
ticket holders can obtain ticket refunds at the original point of purchase.
