PHILADELPHIA — Zach Bryan’s concert last week at Lincoln Financial Field saw Bryan take the stage an hour late due to torrential downpours forcing 60,000 fans to shelter. The storm may have put a damper on Bryan’s Philly tour stop if it weren’t for a surprise performance by Bruce Springsteen during the following night’s show.
But not every performer or venue has “The Boss” in their back pocket, and sometimes events get canceled altogether (albeit rarely).
Canceling or postponing professional sports games, outdoor concerts, and major city events involves a lot of moving parts and for the majority of stadiums and large venues in Philadelphia — the decision to cancel isn’t up to the venues, stadium and venue management say.
The parties using the venue, like artists, tour promoters or professional sports leagues, or local officials often make the final call, and the guidelines for how to take action usually depend on what all parties agreed to in a contract, said Drexel University music industry professor Jeff Apruzzese.
“It’s like a game of ‘chicken.’ If the venue operators are the ones to cancel because of a storm they could be on the hook for paying the artist. The artists don’t want to make that call because they could forfeit their artist fee,” said Apruzzese, who was the bassist of indietronica band Passion Pit for eight years, playing stages at Lollapalooza and Coachella.
In many cases, contracts will include a “force majeure” clause which financially protects all parties in the case of “an act of God,” like storms or emergencies, he added.
But the last thing artists, tour promoters or event organizers want to do is cancel a planned performance, especially when stadium-selling tours like Zach Bryan, Green Day, and Taylor Swift (who all performed in Philly in the past year) can easily rack up more than $500,000 in daily operating costs, said Apruzzese.
Not taking a storm seriously can come at a cost, too.
While headlining a music festival in Chicago years ago, Passion Pit was forced to keep their equipment on stage despite incoming severe rainstorms. By the time it was time for the band to perform, Apruzzese said their equipment, mostly synthesizers and other electronics, was destroyed. “Two days later we were slated to play on David Letterman,” he said. They ended up getting repairs done in time.
While the venue operators say they don’t usually make the final call, they are at the table of these conversations.
Some venues, like the Mann Center, will partner with — or even hire, in the case of Lollapalooza — meteorologists to track severe weather for an upcoming event.
“Although the Mann hosts events rain or shine, the safety of our patrons and artists is top priority. We consult with several entities in advance of an upcoming performance with a severe weather forecast to help us determine postponement,” said Anthony Boyd-Slade, the Mann Center’s vice president of People Operations and Chief Operating Officer. “AccuWeather, with whom we have a season-long engagement, local and national tour reps, and depending on the severity, the city’s Office of Emergency Management.”
The Mann rarely cancels a show, but occasionally moves performances to another stage within the facility as a solution to weather issues, a spokesperson said.
In the case of severe weather forecasts, Philly’s stadium and venue operators advise ticket holders to check the respective venue’s social media:
On the government side of things, the city activates its Special Event Task Force, composed of the Philadelphia Police Department, Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management, the Managing Director’s Office and other city agencies.
Together, the city’s task force, alongside venue operators and tour promoters, will analyze public safety measures and severe weather forecasts to make a decision on a case-by-case basis.
“For all major outdoor events, weather is always a top priority when it comes to contingency planning. The city works with event organizers and stakeholders to develop thresholds for weather-related occurrences, including wind, lightning, heat, and rain. If either of these thresholds is met, the action plan that best suits the need at hand is put into place and immediately messaged out to those who are affected,” said Natalie Faragalli, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Office of Special Events.
These efforts continue even after a storm and concert has passed to ensure the return of lost items, reschedule dates, and distribute updates from the event organizers.
