Legendary rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers will have its first ever gig in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on September 1 2012 staged at a hall, not a stadium.

The newly constructed Arena Armeets sport hall has been confirmed as the new venue for the gig, replacing Georgi Asparuhov Stadium after it emerged that the sale of tickets is going more slowly than expected.

"Bulgarians are last-minute people and the sale of tickets will pick up as the date for the concert approaches. Still we want to make sure that our famous guests do not end up disappointed," the organizers from Sofia Music Enterprises announced on Friday.

Tickets for the concert were available starting December 2 2011 and can be bought online on ticketpro.bg, as well as from the National Palace of Culture's ticket center in downtown Sofia and Arena Armeets sport hall.

In 2012, Red Hot Chili Peppers are also playing in Russia, Poland and Croatia.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have won 7 Grammy Awards and have sold over 70 million albums worldwide since the band was formed in 1983. August 2011 saw the release of their 10th studio album, "I'm with You".