Pop star Prince showed no respect for his fans when he cancelled a near sell-out stadium show in Ireland on an apparent whim, a court has heard.
The Diamonds and Pearls singer and his agents William Morris are being sued for €1.7m by promoters MCD after pulling out just days before the Croke Park gig in summer 2008.
Dublin's High Court was told how the June 16th concert in the capital was shelved at the last minute despite months of preparations and more than 55,000 ticket sales.
MCD boss Denis Desmond, who was forced to issue tens of thousands of refunds, described Prince's no-show as a disgrace.
"I just felt that, to be honest, we'd been messed around and that the artist was showing no respect for us or for his fans," he told the court.
"There was no reason forthcoming as to why the show was being cancelled - it just seemed to be a whim as far as we were concerned."
The Judge, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, heard an artist's $3m fee was agreed on and the go-ahead for the concert was given by Prince's agents in February 2008.
MCD embarked on an extensive publicity campaign, began selling tickets and forked out €700,000 for the high-profile Croke Park venue.
The event was heavily advertised as the last time Prince, who was not present in court, would play greatest hits like Purple Rain and When Doves Cry in Ireland.
'Concerns'
Mr Desmond admitted some concerns had been raised in the weeks before the show, with cancellation rumours on an unofficial Prince website and a lack of directions from the singer's representatives over production plans.
The promoter told the court he contacted William Morris agent Tony Goldring to express his worries.
"Tony said to me this is how the man operates, he's not into this 'we'll prepare four weeks in advance' - he likes it all to be a bit spontaneous," he added.
But the court heard how just ten days before showtime, the concert finally fell apart.
"There was no explanation offered," Mr Desmond said.
"We were quite frustrated with the whole event, to lose the costs. Everything was in, the money had been spent."
The court heard Prince and the William Morris firm are in disagreement over who is liable for the damages.
Mr Justice Kelly was told the booking agents claimed no reason of substance was given by the US performer for his refusal to perform.
Meanwhile Paul Sreenan, Senior Counsel for Prince, said there was no completely binding contract in which all terms had been agreed.
Mr Sreenan told the court the flamboyant star would not be making an appearance during the hearing, which is scheduled to last four days.
The case continues.
© Press Association