Torrential rain, gale force winds and flooding has caused havoc and tragedy
Grace Carroll
10:33 9th July 2012

With the news that Hurricane Sandy is set to cause billions of pounds of damage along the East Coast of America in the coming days, the music world has not escaped the wrath of the tropical storm.

The xx, Grimes, Cat Power and others have been forced to cancel and postpose gigs with Mother Nature set to unleash one of the harshest storms along the coast line. Taking the decision to postpone or cancel the gigs is not a new thing with adverse weather victims claiming many other musical events over the years.

Sometimes the cancellation of events comes too late and tragedy strikes, Gigwise looks back at some of the shows on the music calendar that have been affected.

 

Attendee speaks of 'relief' at overcrowded festival shut down

  • Bloc Festival: The international electronic music festival was supposed to take place at the London Pleasure Gardens this year, but ended up being nothing short of a disaster. The site was evacuated in the early hours of Friday morning with no explanation, although a statement later released by the organisers said it was due to "crowd safety concerns" - while a police statement blamed bad weather.

  • Live From Jodrell Bank: Paul Weller''s Live From Jodrell Bank concert was one of the first casualties of the weather this year. Event director Jon Drape said the site was "unfit to accommodate crowds" and that they were "unable to deliver the concert safely." He added that all ticket holders would get a refund.

  • MFEST: With performers ranging from Bob Geldof to Cher Lloyd. Flood warnings meant that the festival just couldn''''t go ahead. MFEST said: "It is with our deepest regret that due to the adverse weather conditions leading up to this event, in conjunction with the extreme weather warning as issued by the Met Office for the weekend, we were left with no other decision than to abandon this weekend''s MFEST."

  • Godiva Festival: Coventry''s annual free event was cancelled after flash floods took place the week before. More than 100,000 people were supposed to arrive for the UK''''s biggest free three day event. Jos Parry from Coventry City Council said the event had been cancelled due to "dangerously boggy" ground and the council would lose £350,000. Echo And The Bunnymen were due to perform.

  • Hit Factory Live: The Stock, Aitken and Waterman gig in Hyde Park this summer was cancelled due to safety concerns at the site after torrential rain wreaked havoc with the park's grounds. The show was meant to include a duet between Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue as well performances from Steps, Rick Astley, Bananarama, Jason Donovan, Sinitta, Sonia and 2 Unlimited.

  • Creamfields: This years festival was cancelled during the weekend after flooding on site made the event unsafe, and organisers told ticket holders not to turn up for the last day. Heavy rain had turned the event into a mud bath and punters did not get a chance to see Deadmau5 headline.

  • Indiana State Fair 2011: Winds which measured at over 60 miles per hour flattened the stage structure just before the band Sugarland were due to perform at the outdoor event in Indianapolis, USA. Six people lost their lives and many more were injured during this event.

  • Pukkelpop Festival 2011: A sudden storm that swept through a popular open-air music festival in Belgium left five people dead and more than 70 injured after two stages collapsed. The bad weather also toppled trees and brought down giant screens at the venue. Jared Leto, whose band 30 Seconds To Mars were due to headline the main stage tonight, wrote on Twitter before the staged collapsed: "CRAZY STORM AT PUKKELPOP IN BELGIUM – NOT SURE WE WILL BE ABLE TO GO ON STAGE – STAY TUNED. SAFETY FIRST."

  • Fuji Rock Festival 1997 – The inaugural Japanese Festival was struck by a typhoon on the opening day. Amazingly Red Hot Chili Peppers honoured their set and performed through the violent storm - frontman Anthony Keidis had a broken arm too. However, due to being somewhat under-prepared for the disastrous weather, the event was called off before the second day. The festival is now held in Naeba, Niigata Prefecture but has retained the 'Fuji' name.

  • The xx, Grimes and Cat Power are just some of the acts that have been forced to cancel or postpone their scheduled concerts in the US, as the East Coast braces itself for the extreme weather. Hurricane Sandy is set to cause havoc right along the East Coast of America, and according to The New York Times areas from Delaware to Southern New England could be affected.


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