Water Corporation vows there will be no poo-related blunders this time as Bryan Adams announces Perth return

The WA-owned wastewater utility that was responsible for Bryan Adams’ last concert in Perth having to be called off minutes before he walked onto stage has vowed there will be no blunders this time as the rock legend announced his return to RAC Arena. The I Do It For You hitmaker dropped the dates for his upcoming Roll With The Punches tour on Tuesday, with West Aussie fans ecstatic they will finally get a chance to see the award-winning Canadian next February after last year’s Water Corporation bungle. More than 13,000 ticketholders had queued out the front of RAC Arena on February 9 last year, but the event was canned as a blocking to the main sewerage line — known as a fatberg — threatened to cause a catastrophic back-up inside the venue’s toilets. Water Corporation crews attempted to fix the issue, but the plug was officially pulled just before 9pm when Adams was meant to begin his set. The organisation told The West Australian on Tuesday it was confident there would not be any repeats and, along with the rest of Perth, looked forward to welcoming the muso back. “Concertgoers are assured we’re doing everything we can to ensure Bryan Adams’ return is remembered for the music,” a Water Corporation spokesperson said. “Since last February, RAC Arena has hosted dozens of major events without incident. “While fatbergs can form when non-flushable items, fats, oils and grease enter the system, our ongoing maintenance program is designed to keep our 18,000km of wastewater mains operating safely and reliably.” With last year’s disaster behind him, Adams has promised Perth fans an unmissable night on February 23, which will kickstart his tour of Australia and New Zealand. The man behind smash hits like Summer of ‘69, Heaven and Run To You will be supported by Aussie great Natalie Imbruglia, whose chart-topper Torn still remains the most played song on radio across the nation since 1990. The decision was made to cancel his last show based on health advice on the risk to revellers from the pooling human waste in the street and fears that the demand on the waste water system from the concert could have exacerbated the issue. Wastewater had already started overflowing into the arena’s underground carpark and nearby hotels, which threatened the sewage backup inside the venue’s toilets. Crews spent hours working down a 4m manhole, blasting the congealed lump with high-pressure water before the blockage was finally cleared at 11.15pm. Adams said at the time he was “really sorry we couldn’t make this happen”. “I was so looking forward to seeing you all. I appreciate your patience and support and can’t wait to be back and play for you as soon as we can reschedule,” he said. The drama even forced Premier Roger Cook into damage control, as he issued a public apology and declared: “There’s only three Ps that should go down the toilet - your pee, your poo, and your toilet paper.” “I absolutely apologise to all those people who have been disappointed because they didn’t get an opportunity to see Bryan Adams,” he said at the time. “I appreciate it’s incredibly inconvenient and disappointing for them. At the end of the day, we are focused on public safety, and of course, we stand by the decision that was taken last night to make sure that we didn’t have a public health incident. “The fatberg has been flushed, and we are very pleased that we are now seeing that situation has been addressed.” All tickets were refunded by Frontier Touring, who said it was “bitterly disappointed” by the cancellation. Tickets for Adams’ tour go on sale at 12pm on Monday. Frontier Members can access presale tickets at 12pm from Friday.