Halsey.Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty
Severe flooding causedHalseyto cancel a show in Maryland on theirLove and Power TourWednesday night.
Large amounts of water accumulating in front of the stage, video from the scene shared on social media showed, withfans in ankle-length water tweeting to be let out of the pit.
Onevideo, said to be taken from the crowd at the venue, a stagehand kicked a squirrel who had made its way onto the stage. The squirrel latermade it to safety, a follow-up tweet said.
“There’s no way this Halsey Maryland show is real like WHAT,” the fan wrote.
“Last night’s show ended early due to a storm in the area. While canceling a show is never a simple or easy decision, the safety of fans, staff and artists and their crew always comes first. All parties involved wanted to provide the best possible concert experience for last night’s patrons. When the storm hit last night, everyone was provided cover and told to shelter-in-place,” Audrey Fix Schaefer, a spokesperson for Merriweather Post Pavilion, told PEOPLE in a statement.
“The storm struck more intensely and lasted longer than anticipated. It was everyone’s sincere hope that the show would go on, but ultimately the decision was made to cancel the show. Ticket holders should keep an eye out for an email from Ticketmaster for all updates.”
Halsey Tweeted on Wednesday night that they were disappointed with the venue’s handling of the situation and would be rescheduling the show somewhere else.
“I am beyond disappointed with the way the venue handled everything tonight and my rescheduled date will be happening somewhere else,” Halsey wrote. “I hear you guys loud and clear I promise.”
The performer explained that they made the decision to cancel the show to keep everyone safe.
“Maryland I don’t even know what to say,” Halsey said. “I’m heartbroken and panicked and I just want to know when/that you all get home safely. I love you guys more than anything.”
“I promise I wanted to [perform] more than anything. But I couldn’t because it would have been SO unsafe if I went out there and people rushed the stage during or after the storm,” the added. “A lot of things were out of my control tonight but I promise everything I COULD choose, I chose your safety.”
Halsey.Rosalind O’Connor/NBC/Getty
Later on Wednesday night, Halsey went on Instagram Live to address the situation, explaining ina recordingof the video that their tour team regularly works with experts who can help predict what the weather will be like at every stop.
Warnings were given that there would be some rain in Maryland, Halsey said, but they did not think it would be anything to get in the way of the show.
The first act got pulled from the stage as it began to rain before “unexpected” and “unpredictable” weather appeared, Halsey said, noting, “It immediately became dangerous.”
They went on to share that local authorities advised them and their team to put a shelter in place as letting crowds leave at that time would not have been safe.
Halsey said there was a time where they thought maybe the weather would improve “just as quickly as it got bad” and that there would be a chance the show could still go on.
While the singer said they knew the decision to cancel would be disappointing, they had to do what was best for the well-being of the crowd. After looking at the weather and seeing tweets fans were sharing that documented the conditions they were enduring, it became “immediately apparent” that the show needed to be canceled, Halsey said.
“Not wanting to break your heart is not as important as wanting to keep you guys safe,” they said.
On Thursday, Halsey shared on Twitter their relief that fans had returned home safely.
“I’m going to camp out on Twitter today and tomorrow to talk to y’all about it,” Halsey wrote. “Just want to be close to you right now.”
source: people.com
