SALT LAKE CITY — Tens of thousands of people were forced to take shelter Saturday evening as a storm hit Salt Lake City, and the music festival they were attending ended up fully cancelling several hours early.
The “RedWest” music festival was in its second of three days at the Utah State Fairpark. Post Malone was scheduled to headline Saturday night, with Kacey Musgraves on Friday and Noah Kahan on Sunday.
Shortly before 5:15 p.m., attendees were notified on the festival’s mobile app that the shows would be paused. Organizers then announced on social media that everyone needed to gather their belongings, leave the venue and take shelter.
If people didn’t have cars nearby, they took shelter in buses and even nearby businesses.
“From the bathrooms, to the tents… now we’re in this random building,” said Alan Scott from Idaho. “Luckily these nice people let us in.”
“We were standing out in the rain like some turkeys with our heads cut off, so very thankful that this business let us in,” echoed Jarrod Ebeling from California. “We’re going to go back to our hotel, hopefully dry our clothes, and hope to come back if the concert goes back on.”
“We’re going to tough it out until Post Malone comes,” Scott said. “We came all the way here to see Post Malone, so we’ll wait it out.”
Unfortunately, these Posty fans’ patience didn’t pay off in the end as the organizers announced hours later that the show would not go on.
Around 7:50, event organizers said on social media that they’re “optimistic.” However, that post was later deleted, and they posted at 9:40 that they would be unable to resume the show.
“For the safety of our fans, artists, and staff, we are unable to continue with today’s programming. Conditions at the festival site are currently unsafe to proceed,” the Instagram post read. “We’re truly sorry and appreciate your patience and understanding. Please stay tuned to our social channels and check your email for further updates and next steps.”
In addition, the University of Utah’s home football game was delayed, but only briefly. The school’s athletic department announced around 6:30 p.m. that lightning was detected at Rice-Eccles Stadium. They urged ticketholders to seek shelter either in vehicles or on the concourse. They later announced that the lightning threat had passed, and fans could return to the stadium. The game would kick off at 8:25 p.m.
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