These Concerts Were RUINED By Nature...
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
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2023 Any open-air concert in Colorado, USA is liable to closure from bad weather. But this particular event, featuring Louis Tomlinson from One Direction, went much worse than either the fans or the organizers expected. After multiple delays, the concert was officially canceled, and everyone was instructed to leave the arena and find shelter. Unfortunately, it was too late. Just five minutes later, a tremendous hailstorm began pelting everyone with ice. People huddled wherever they could, some in restrooms, others under improvised shelters made from boxes and trash cans; many suffered cuts, bruises, and even broken bones. The storm only lasted about fifteen minutes, but one concertgoer from Florida, who had been through several hurricanes, said it was the scariest fifteen minutes of her life.
Glastonbury Festival
2005 The Glastonbury Festival is a summer music event which has been celebrated in Somerset, England since 1970. While England is notorious for rainy weather, the 2005 festival went somewhat beyond that. After six sunny days, a severe thunderstorm suddenly dropped enough rain to flood nearby waterways, and leave campsites around the performance area under several feet of water. Some stages and large tents were even struck by lightning. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and most fans took the weather in stride; they tromped around in boots and protected valuable items in plastic bags. Soon after the rain cleared up, festival organizers got the stages and sound equipment going again, and the Undertones played “Teenage Kicks” to a wet, but appreciative crowd.
Alternative Nation
1995 Music festivals were hugely popular events in Australia in the 1990s. The creators of Alternative Nation intended their festival to become a regular institution, and gathered an incredible lineup of musicians to perform in three major cities; yet after one attempt, the idea was abandoned. Why? Well, there were multiple reasons for this epic failure, but the weather certainly didn’t help. In Melbourne, fans waiting to buy tickets developed hypothermia after hours of standing in the rain. Last-minute changes and cancellations due to bad weather in Brisbane left music lovers wandering around, soggy and confused. Worst of all, the rain turned Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway into a treacherous mud pit, and disgruntled fans vented their frustration by throwing gobs of mud at the performers.
Phish Camp Out Concert
2019 For this ruined concert, we return to Colorado–but not because of bad weather. As its name suggests, this event was supposed to happen outdoors, with fans camping out in tents overnight. Unfortunately, the entire area had to be closed off because of prairie dogs nearby who had bubonic plague. Yes, the same plague that killed millions of people during the Middle Ages. While no humans had been infected, authorities worried that fleas from the prairie dogs might end up hitching a ride on people or their pets, spreading the disease further. Phish fans still got their concert, minus the camping out, which seems like a pretty good deal under the circumstances–certainly better than catching the plague.
Château de Pourtalès
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2001 Although there were multiple storm warnings that night for the Alsace region of France, officials would later describe this concert tragedy as an unpredictable twist of fate–and that’s not too big of a stretch. Fans were enjoying Yiddish folk music in an outdoor venue when the storm hit; they left their bleacher seats and crowded under a large tent for shelter. But this was no ordinary thunderstorm. The strong wind, including gusts over ninety miles an hour, actually uprooted a large plane tree; it toppled onto the tent, crushing everyone beneath it. Emergency crews worked for hours to remove the tree and get everybody out, but it was too late for some; eleven people were killed, and over eighty injured.
Sled Island Festival
2013 The Sled Island Festival is a huge music event held every summer in Calgary, Canada. Unfortunately, in 2013, it was featured in the news primarily for its association with a different incident: the Alberta floods. Unusually heavy rainfall over a short period of time caused rivers to overflow and reach record heights; it was one of the worst natural disasters ever seen in that province. The festival had two good days, but then had to cancel everything, pack up, and leave–along with the residents of more than thirty towns, whose houses and roads were underwater. The Sled Island website asked fans to be patient about getting ticket and pass refunds, as their Calgary office was also underwater.
Pukkelpop
2011 In previous entries we’ve mentioned heavy rain, strong wind, and pelting hail; this event had all of them. The annual Pukkelpop music festival in Belgium is one of Europe’s largest outdoor gatherings, and in 2011, around sixty thousand people attended. According to their statements afterwards, the weather seemed fine; no one expected the sudden change as the sky turned black, winds rose, and hail began to fall. For the next ten minutes, chaos reigned. People outside were hit with hail and flying debris, while those in tents found themselves trapped when their shelters collapsed. The storm was brief, but it left destruction in its wake that was worthy of a disaster movie; five people were killed, and many more injured.
Curtis Mayfield
1990 Curtis Mayfield was a soul and funk artist who was known for both his popular songs, and his more serious works about racial discrimination in the US. In August of 1990, Mayfield was about to perform an outdoor concert arranged by New York senator Martin Markowitz. A storm was brewing, and Markowitz was in a hurry to beat the rain. However, he probably should have realized it was a bad idea when a gust of wind cut off his microphone mid-introduction. As Mayfield stepped on to the stage, an even stronger gust rattled the overhead lighting equipment–and it fell. Mayfield was struck in the back of his neck by a heavy rig. He survived but had paralysis from the neck down for the rest of his life.
Kings of Leon
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2010 Kings of Leon was the headline act for a July concert in Missouri, at the open air Verizon Amphitheatre. As they got ready to go onstage, they were alarmed to see that the two opening acts looked a bit worse for wear; members of both bands were streaked with white pigeon droppings. Despite some understandable concern, Kings of Leon took the stage and gamely began to play. They made it through two songs; however, when a splat of dung landed on the bassist’s face near the beginning of the third, the band decided to quit. So, with the musicians gone, and the audience confused and upset, the pigeons were left the victors of the field.
Indiana State Fair
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2011 Our last entry features one of the most famous concert disasters in the United States. A large audience had gathered in Indianapolis to see the famed country music duo, Sugarland. Thunderstorms were predicted to reach the area, but not until after the concert began, so no one was too worried–at first. What the people in charge may not have realized is that dangerous wind conditions often arrive before the actual storm. Sugarland never made it to the stage; the huge structure buckled under the fifty-mile-an-hour wind, and collapsed onto the audience. Seven people were killed, and over fifty injured. Although this event inspired better safety regulations in fairs across the country, it was a tragic reminder never to underestimate the power of nature. Have you ever had a fraught concert experience? Tell us in the comments.
