An entertainment company has issued an apology to Prince fans who lined up for hours outside a downtown Toronto venue on Tuesday in anticipation of a surprise show, after it says "incorrect" information was posted on a ticketing website.
In a statement posted on Facebook Tuesday night, Live Nation apologized for "any inconvenience experienced by Prince and his fans in Toronto."
According to the company, Ticketmaster had posted "incorrect concert information on their website," and that the "only reservation" for the space was for a production rehearsal.
"There was no concert scheduled for (Tuesday)," Live Nation said.
There were also rumours about a second Prince performance scheduled for Wednesday night. Two workers inside Massey Hall told CTV Toronto's Scott Lightfoot that Wednesday's event has also been cancelled.
Earlier in the day, a crowd of fans stood in the rain for hours outside Massey Hall. The line at one point stretched for two blocks past the downtown venue.
Fans who heard rumours about a Prince concert in Toronto on Twitter early Tuesday morning had flocked to the venue, despite the fact the show had not been confirmed.
Officials at Massey Hall were seen setting up crowd-control fences outside the venue Tuesday morning. By noon, lineups had begun outside of the building.
Though fans said they knew the rumours hadn't been confirmed, they said they couldn't pass up the chance to see the star.
A man waiting in line said he'd seen Prince 15 times, but still wanted to see him again. A woman said she'd left work as soon as she heard the news.
The rumours of the surprise show were sparked by a message posted by 3rdeyegirl, an all-female band currently backing the artist.
The message teasing the Toronto show was posted shortly before 7 a.m., and was deleted by 8:30 a.m.
Further fuelling the rumours was a page on the Ticketmaster website that suggested Prince was playing in Toronto Tuesday night, thought the page said the event was no longer on sale.
According to unconfirmed messages posted on social media, wristbands would be handed out starting at 6 p.m. Other unconfirmed reports suggested there would be two shows, one on Tuesday and another on Wednesday.
When asked about the Toronto rumours, Prince's publicist told CTV Toronto that the singer and his manager were in New York. The publicist said he was waiting for a phone call to confirm whether Prince would be in Toronto.
Prince has performed several times in Toronto, and owned a home in Canada’s largest city when he was married to Toronto-born Manuela Testolini from 2001 to 2006.
He released his latest record, "Art Official Age," in September.
Donna Grantis, a guitarist in 3rdeyegirl, is from nearby Mississauga.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Andria Case
