Patti LaBelle says one Atlanta civic center needs to clean up its act.
Patti LaBelle is a diva who deserves a clean stage. Unfortunately, that not’s what she got at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on Sunday.
About four songs into her show, Patti launched into a set of criticisms about how filthy the venue was after kicking off her heels, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The stage was so dirty that Miss Patti requested a towel so she could wipe her feet!
“When is someone going to take the time to fix up this theater?” Patti said during her set. “I’ve been coming to this city for 50 years. This isn’t right. You’ve got Mickey mice back there and roaches. I’m a diabetic, and I couldn’t eat back there.”
And if a dirty stage wasn’t enough to set Patti off, she had more to say about the auditorium that the crowd was sitting in.
“I’m up here looking all cute but I’m suffering inside. You all deserve to be sitting in better seats. I can’t stand this place.”
Atlanta’s Director of Cultural Affairs Camille Love (who was sitting in the audience) was mortified at the line of insults leveled against the theater.
Another city official said that although Miss Patti had pointed out a few unpleasant things at the city-owned venue(including a smelly bathroom), all of her issues were promptly addressed.
Patti apologized to the crowd for her outburst later on during the two-hour sold out show.
– Sonya Eskridge
Photo by Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd.
