The Pussycat Dolls were briefly down one member during their concert in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday, September 16.
Lead singer Nicole Scherzinger was notably absent from the stage at the COS Torwar Arena while Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt began singing the group’s 2006 hit “Buttons.” Instead of singing what would be Scherzinger’s verses, the pair danced through gaps in the song until the former Masked Singer judge, 48, was able to join them on stage later in the performance.
Fans took to social media to comment on the mishap.
“It would be less awkward to ask them to stop the music and start when everything was OK,” one X user wrote under footage of the performance.
“Oh this is bad😭😩,” another person added. ‘Y’all can’t sub in on the vocals? I understand why Nicole was getting most of the money and camera time 😏.”
A rep for the band later released a statement explaining Scherzinger’s absence.
“During a wardrobe change, there was an issue with Nicole’s in-ear pack, which meant an unexpected mid-show change was necessary,” the statement read. “Rather than the Dolls stopping the entire show and disappointing the fans, the decision was made to fully switch Nicole’s pack, and unfortunately, the change delayed her from joining the other Dolls in time.”
The statement added, “Nicole is devastated that the fans were let down in any way, and looks forward to coming back to Poland very soon to make it up to them.”
Scherzinger, Wyatt, 44, and Roberts, 45, reunited in March to release the Pussycat Dolls’ single “Club Song.” They also reissued the group’s albums PCD and Doll Domination in celebration of their 20th anniversary. (Former members Carmit Bachar, Jessica Sutta and Melody Thornton were not included in the reunion.)
The trio embarked on the Pussycat Dolls’ latest world tour, PCD Forever, in June, although most of the North American dates were later canceled due to low ticket sales.
“Nicole is disappointed,” a source exclusively told Us in May of the canceled tour dates. “She was really excited to get back out there with Ashley [Roberts] and Kimberly [Wyatt] to celebrate a new era, but now she feels they didn’t get a chance to showcase what they can do.”
The insider added, “They went from not touring for over 15 years to booking big arenas like Madison Square Garden with only one new song to back it. They overestimated the demand.”
After the Pussycat Dolls’ reunion was announced, both Bachar, 52, and Sutta, 44, publicly called out the group for excluding previous members.
“I was not contacted regarding the group’s decision to move forward, and I learned of these plans at the same time as the public,” Bachar claimed via Instagram. “Given my history with the brand, having been part of its foundation long before its commercial debut and instrumental in the connections that led to the record deal… I would have appreciated direct communication.”
Meanwhile, Sutta described herself as a “liability” because she is a friend and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump‘s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I align with Bobby Kennedy, which is aligning with MAGA,” she said on the “Maverick Approach” podcast at the time.
