Lollapalooza, the famous music festival in Chicago, didn’t turn the way it should have. As severe storms hit the city Saturday afternoon, organizers had to stop the music around 3:30 pm CST, concert goers had to evacuate and were directed to emergency evacuation shelters.
This is the statement that was posted at the time of the eminent danger:
‘Due to an approaching storm and warnings from the National Weather Service, Lollapalooza organizers have suspended the festival until further notice. Festival-goers are being evacuated from Grant Park and are being directed by staff and the Chicago Police Department to pre-established underground evacuation and shelter sites along Michigan Avenue.’
The music was supposed to resume at 6 pm but the Los Angeles Times wrote there was some obvious confusion at the time as to just when the gates would be reopened. Many bands, journalists and fans tweeted about the deluge, and as soon as the gates reopened everyone rushed into the mud. The Chicago Tribune wrote:
‘Eventually, the storm itself became the show. Some stranded attendees ran barefoot down the street, embracing the soaking conditions while others snapped photos and videos of blinding lightning strikes, ear-splitting thunder and umbrella-less people scampering through the streets’.
It is totally understandable that festival organizers don’t want to take any risk after the recent series of stage collapses, especially when the weather conditions are so extreme: winds were blowing up to 80 mph!
There is now a new schedule on the Lollapalooza website, and let’s hope the remaining days will be less stormy.