10 concerts Mother Nature made an unwanted cameo in 2023
Here are 10 impactful weather events in 2023 that have upstaged the performance.
Taylor Swift Eras tour faces storms, extreme heat
The 'Cruel Summer' singer has faced off with Mother Nature on her Eras tour over the past nine months. Taylor Swift danced in the rain with her fans in the U.S. and then faced extreme heat in Brazil.
Rocking out to your favorite musician is a great way to spend a few hours, but there have been several times this year Mother Nature has crashed the party.
Here are 10 of the most impactful weather events that have upstaged the performance.
Jan. 27: Record rains in Auckland force cancelation of Elton John concert
Someone let the sun go down on Elton John’s fans in New Zealand as record rains led to widespread flooding in Auckland in late January. Floodwaters forced roads to be closed as people became trapped in their vehicles during the evening commute.
Summer's worth of rain falls in less than 24 hours in Auckland, New Zealand
Large parts of Auckland, New Zealand, experienced its wettest day on record on Friday. Ben Noll, meteorologist at the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Auckland said over 10 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours, an entire summer's worth. He shot this video from downtown Auckland.
Auckland received just over 9.5 inches of rain in a day – more than the average for the entire summer. It forced Elton John to cancel his concert.
"I'm absolutely heartbroken that tonight’s show in Auckland couldn’t go ahead," he said as he took to Instagram to talk to his fans. "I was at the venue and determined to play, as the weather reports we received in advance weren’t fully conclusive. Ultimately, we had to follow the local emergency services' decision to cancel."
Feb. 11: New Zealand’s rainy sequel: Ed Sheeran battles Cyclone Gabrielle
Just two weeks after Auckland was swamped with nearly 10 inches of rain, Cyclone Gabrielle added to the rainy woes. This time, singer Ed Sheeran wasn't going to let heavy rains ruin his concert in Auckland as the storm approached.
Ed Sheeran gets soaked as he performs at Auckland's Eden Center as Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle approached on Feb. 11, 2023.
(Angela Barlie via Storyful / FOX Weather)
"Will you dance in the rain with me tonight?" Sheeran asked his fans, according to the New Zealand Herald. "When I fall over, be kind to me on social media," he added.
March 30: Deadly tornado strikes concertgoers inside Illinois theater
A Friday night jam turned deadly at a theater just outside Chicago when an EF-1 tornado ripped through Belvidere, causing the roof to collapse at the Apollo Theater.
Video shows chaotic scene after roof collapse at Illinois theater
Video from inside the Apollo Theatre in Belividere, Iillinois, shows the chaotic scene after a roof collapsed during a concert amid severe storms in the area.
A video on social media showed rescuers rushing to help those trapped under debris. In the footage, debris can be seen piled in front of the stage at the Apollo Theatre AC. As the camera tilts up, only a few beams remain where a roof once existed.
June 22: Dozens injured as massive hail strikes Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre
In this instance, crashing the party was a bit more literal. At least 90 people were injured at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre when a thunderstorm carrying golf-ball-sized hail swept in during a Louis Tomlinson concert.
Dramatic scenes from Colorado as a massive hail storm strikes a concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
At least 90 people were injured after large hail pummeled the crowd at the outdoor concert of the English singer Louis Tomlinson in Colorado on Wednesday as severe thunderstorms moved across the state.
Videos from the crowd show a chaotic scene as people were struck by the hail, with victims showing off multiple welts and bruises as hail piled up on the ground and torrential rains instantly turned parts of the stadium into raging rivers. Dozens were treated at the scene, and at least seven were hospitalized.
July 15: Jason Aldean leaves stage in Hartford, Connecticut, due to heat exhaustion
The opening weekend for country star Jason Aldean's Highway Desperado Tour was cut short when he ran offstage after suffering heat exhaustion during a show in Hartford, Connecticut.
Temperatures in Hartford during the concert were in the upper 70s and lower 80s, but with dew points in the lower to mid-70s, feels-like temperatures were in the mid-80s when factoring in the tropical humidity.
Country star Jason Aldean seen running off stage after suffering heatstroke
A video shared by K.C. Schweizer obtained by TMX shows country star Jason Aldean running off stage while performing his hit "Crazy Town" at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut, on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Credit: K.C. Schweizer/POP NATION/TMX)
"I'm doing fine. Just one of those things. It was hot. I was playing golf all day yesterday and then got to the show, and just I think it was a combination of dehydration and just heat exhaustion," Aldean said in his video on Instagram.
Aug. 18: Rare West Coast tropical storm threat postpones festival
As Hurricane Hilary approached the Southern California coast in mid-August, the region’s first Tropical Storm Watches were issued.
California braced for heavy rains and strong winds, and organizers of the Interstellar Festival decided the risks were too great and posted a "significant risk" to their festival grounds in San Pedro, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
An image showing catastrophic flooding in Palm Springs, California, due to the effects of Tropical Storm Hilary on Sunday, August 20, 2023.
(Clement - Petramala / LSM)
"We’re already looking ahead to the day we can welcome you onto a different dance floor, one that’s dry and ready to create unforgettable memories," festival organizers posted on their Instagram page.
Aug. 29: Extreme heat puts the brakes on 50 Cent concert in Phoenix
Phoenix endured a record stretch of heat this summer with weeks of highs over 110 degrees. That heat was still there in late August and forced 50 Cent to postpone his concert originally scheduled outside on the 29th.
PHOENIX BECOMES FIRST MAJOR US CITY TO AVERAGE OVER 100 DEGREES IN A MONTH
"Due to extreme heat, the show tomorrow in Phoenix, AZ is being postponed. For anyone who would like a refund, please go to point of purchase for instructions. I’ll be back in Arizona soon! 116 degrees is dangerous for everyone," 50 Cent tweeted.
An Excessive Heat Warning was in effect for the region that day, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Sept. 2: Burning Man festival soaked by monsoon downpours, leaves tens of thousands stranded in muddy mess
Heavy monsoon rainfall caused flash flooding in rural Nevada, where tens of thousands attended the annual Burning Man festival.
Scenes from Burning Man festival after monsoon rains
Thousands of Burning Man festival goers are stranded in Black Rock City, Nevada after monsoon rains created unsafe driving conditions on the playa. (Video credit: Debora Domass via Storyful)
The result was a muddy mess that left camps drenched and a mud-torn playa that doubled as the entrance and exit impassable for days, stranding some 73,000 festivalgoers
Nov. 10-18: Taylor Swift gets hit with bad weather Karma during South America tour
Taylor Swift’s wildly popular Eras tour hit multiple speed bumps from Mother Nature while trekking through South America. The tour hit its first weather-related snag on Nov. 10 when severe weather forced the postponement of a performance in Buenos Aires. An orange weather alert warned of up to 4 inches of rain amid hail, lightning and gusty winds.
"I love a rain show but I’m never going to endanger my fans or my fellow performers and crew," Swift wrote in the tweet.
Taylor Swift postpones Brazil show as extreme heat continues
Swift moved Saturday's concert in Rio de Janeiro to Monday in the wake of a fan's death during an extreme heat wave before Friday's performance as the heat index soared to record levels near 140 degrees.
The concert resumed a couple of days later. But a week later, tragedy struck as the tour moved to Rio de Janeiro, when not storms, but extreme heat affected the region. A fan reportedly died before the opening concert on Nov. 17, leading to the postponement of Saturday’s concert.
TAYLOR SWIFT HAS ERA OF BAD WEATHER FOR CONCERTS THIS TOUR SEASON
The heat index, which combines the effects of heat and humidity, reached staggering levels near 140 degrees in Rio de Janeiro on Friday and Saturday, according to Reuters, and the National Institute of Meteorology reported similar conditions had occurred for much of the week.
Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at Gillette Stadium on May 20, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(TAS Rights Management / Getty Images)
Swift usually just shakes off rainy weather during her concerts. In May, she kept singing through downpours at both Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Dec. 17: Inflatable bear puts on air show during extreme winds at Argentina festival
Just a month after Taylor Swift’s adventures with weather in Buenos Aires, severe weather struck again in the Brazilian town — this time at their Fiesta Bresh.
Inflatable pink bear flies into festival crowd
High winds from a deadly storm in Argentina sent an inflatable pink bear flying into a crowd of people during a festival.
Extreme winds struck the area as a line of thunderstorms moved through around 4 a.m., tearing apart one of the performance stages and sending the crowd running in panic as a giant inflatable pink bear that had been part of the stage decorations went airborne.
Local media reported 15 people were injured in the chaos.
Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini International Airport reported a gust of 54 mph while Jorge Newbery Airport recorded a gust of 60 mph at the time.