According to NME, Bright Eyes has issued statement regarding the cancellation and evacuation of their anniversary show in New York. On Saturday, the rock band was set to play their final of three shows in honor of the 21st anniversary of their albums, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. The first show took place at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. Originally scheduled for May 6, the show was pushed back week due to a snowstorm. Later that month, they played their second anniversary show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, without a hitch. However, before the start of their final show at the Forest Hill Stadium in New York, the concert was shut down, and fans were promptly evacuated from the stadium due to severe weather concerns.
Founder, singer-songwriter, and guitarist Conor Oberst put out statement yesterday about the cancellation on the band’s social media. In the statement, he said the band is “reeling and devastated” as well as “feeling extremely sad, unlucky, maybe even cursed.” Oberst mentioned that they had spent over a year planning and worked for months on the three anniversary shows, only for two of the three to be affected by natural phenomena out of their control.
The storm that led to the show’s impromptu cancellation also impacted the Governor’s Ball that weekend, along with multiple other outdoor shows in the area.
“These kinds of decisions are made in constant real-time contact with meteorologists and city officials, and this one ended up being the worst-case scenario,” he stated. “We were cleared to play our ‘Wide Awake’ set, with the understanding that conditions could change rapidly. And that’s exactly what happened.”
Fans who purchased their tickets through AXS are set to receive a full automatic refund within 30 business days. Those who purchased tickets through other means were told to contact their original point of purchase for a refund. As for any other questions or concerns, Oberst said that they are “working through next steps” and have appreciated fans’ patience.
The full statement can be read below:
“Hey everyone,
We’re still reeling and devastated about the severe weather cancellation at Forest Hills this past weekend. After over a year of planning, it’s been difficult to process our disappointment while also working through next steps. We really appreciate your patience.
So, first off – if you purchased your tickets online via AXS, your tickets will be automatically refunded in full, issued to the credit card you used to purchase within 30 business days. No further action is required. Otherwise, please contact your original point of purchase to request a refund.
We also want to give a clearer picture of what happened. The storm on June 6 moved in fast and hit hard. It didn’t just affect us – it shut down multiple outdoor shows across the city, including Governors Ball and an event at Under the K Bridge. These kinds of decisions are made in constant real-time contact with meteorologists and city officials, and this one ended up being the worst-case scenario.
We were cleared to play our ‘Wide Awake’ set, with the understanding that conditions could change rapidly. And that’s exactly what happened. As we walked off stage, we were told by the promoter and venue that the show had to be shut down immediately due to extreme weather risk for the safety of all.
From there, the only focus was getting everyone out safely before conditions got worse. And they did get worse shortly after.
For the record, we worked really hard for many months getting these 3 shows together and 2 of the 3 were affected by severe weather completely out of our control. Needlesstosay we are feeling extremely sad, unlucky, maybe even cursed. We lost money on the whole endeavor and worst of all didn’t get to complete what we set out to do.
Life isn’t fair.
See you down the road,
Conor Oberst”
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