Severe weather forces rescheduling of Cruel World Festival. Siouxsie Sioux's US return delayed by 24 hours
Pasadena’s post-punk extravaganza, Cruel World, experienced a disappointing turn of events on Saturday as the second annual event was abruptly halted due to the looming threat of severe weather. Just moments before Siouxsie Sioux was set to take the main stage, marking her long-awaited return to the U.S. after 15 years, organisers made the difficult decision to cancel the performance. This was Sioux’s sole North American date on her highly anticipated comeback tour, which commenced in Brussels on May 3.
A statement from Cruel World, released on social media at 3 a.m. Pacific time on Sunday, confirmed the cancellation of Siouxsie Sioux and Iggy Pop’s shows “at the direction of the Pasadena Fire Department.” However, both performances were rescheduled for Sunday evening, May 21, and at the time of writing fans are currently enjoying what is bound to be a great show by Iggy.
On Saturday night, punk pioneer Iggy Pop, joined on stage by the dancing son of Queens of the Stone Age singer Josh Homme, was in the midst of his set on the Outsiders stage when the festival abruptly ended. Two flashes of lightning had already streaked across the sky during Pop’s performance, causing momentary sound outages. However, when a third audio glitch occurred during “The Passenger,” a booming announcement over the PA system informed attendees that the Brookside grounds were being evacuated due to the imminent threat of severe weather. Simultaneously, the set by U.K. synthpop act the Human League on the nearby Lost Boys stage was also forced to halt.
Iggy Pop “The Passenger”
— Jake (the ‘80s never ended in my world) Rudh (@JakeRudh) May 21, 2023
This is when the concert abruptly ended due to a severe weather warning. Which never seemed to happen.#SiouxsieSioux was set to go on directly following Iggy.
Not the end any of us expected.#CruelWorldFestival #CruelWorldFest#cruelworld2023 pic.twitter.com/v0sfdY9nDi
As disappointed spectators came to terms with the situation, Iggy Pop addressed the crowd, saying, “OK, we have lightning. We need to evacuate the stage, I’ve been told.” While some fans expressed their frustration by booing, shouting, and hurling debris towards the stage, most attendees calmly exited the premises, understanding the necessity for their safety.
Initially, Cruel World’s official Twitter account announced the festival’s postponement until further notice, urging attendees to swiftly evacuate the site using the nearest emergency exits. However, the tweet was later deleted and replaced with a revised message emphasising the severity of the weather conditions. It instructed festival-goers to leave the event site and seek shelter in their vehicles or protected areas outside the venue while awaiting further updates.
Searched. And destroyed. pic.twitter.com/fbK0HCQAUC
— Cruel World Festival (@cruelworldfest) May 22, 2023
Cruel World Festival announced earlier via Twitter that all Saturday pass holders would be permitted entry to the venue, while organisers and fans are keeping a close eye on the weather. Currently, the rain is holding off, and the worst of the storm has dissipated.
Keep your eyes peeled for Punktuation’s review of the festival in coming days.
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