Lovers & Friends Festival cancelled last minute
US festival Lovers & Friends was cancelled less than 15 hours before it was scheduled to begin due to “dangerous weather”.
Promoted by Live Nation, the one-day festival was supposed to kick off on midday Saturday (4 May) in Las Vegas, US, with headlining sets from Usher, Backstreet Boys, Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys.
However, an overnight statement from organisers said they had been “monitoring the weather for several days and proactively preparing for a windy Saturday,” but decided it was too unsafe after advice from public officials and the National Weather Service, which warned of high winds and “gusts potentially more than 60 mph.”
“This was an incredibly heartbreaking decision to make as we are aware that fans have travelled from all over the world to enjoy this incredible lineup of superstars and have been looking forward to this event for several months,” the statement said. “We’ve worked hard to create an amazing event for you, and we are just as disappointed as you are.”
Ja Rule, Ashanti, Gwen Stefani, Monica, Brandy, Nas, M.I.A., Snoop Dogg, Ciara and Ludacris were also featured on the 90s-centric lineup.
“This was an incredibly heartbreaking decision to make as we are aware that fans have travelled from all over the world”
Tickets ranged from $325 (€302) to $695 (€645). Organisers said those who purchased tickets through official channels will receive a refund within 30 days.
Since launching in 2020, Friends & Lovers Festival has experienced its fair share of upsets. When it was first announced in 2020, several artists on its lineup denied their involvement. That year’s event was later cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The festival finally debuted in Vegas in 2022 but three attendees later sued organisers, claiming they failed to provide adequate safety and security measures when rumours of gunfire at the event caused them to be trampled in a stampede. The case is still pending.
Lovers & Friends is the latest festival impacted by extreme weather, following the recent cancellation of California’s Sol Blume.
In the US, adverse weather coverage has “increased significantly” in the last five years, according to Jeff Torda from Higginbotham. Backing this point, a recent Billboard article claimed premiums in North America had tripled in recent years.
The latest edition of ILMC also saw industry leaders discussing ways to cope with the impact of weather on festivals and open-air live music events.
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LN sued over Lovers & Friends fest ‘stampede’
Three people have launched legal proceedings against Live Nation, alleging they were injured in a “stampede” at a US festival caused by false reports of gunfire.
Billboard reports that performances at Lovers & Friends Festival in Las Vegas were briefly halted on 14 May last year when attendees raced from the venue promoted by a “loud noise”.
Claimants James Thomas, Carla Thomas and Aaliyah Aguilar say the promoter “failed to take basic, reasonable steps” to protect them as the “sea of people” surged towards them, “pushing plaintiffs against the other attendees in the festival”.
“Plaintiffs screamed for help from the event organisers and security, but none came,” reads the lawsuit, which alleges the trio were
“pushed, smashed, dragged, kicked, stepped on, trampled and crushed to the ground”.
“Defendants failed to employ adequate, properly trained, monitored, and supervised reasonable security, safety and medical provision measures”
“Defendants failed to employ adequate, properly trained, monitored, and supervised reasonable security, safety and medical provision measures,” continues the suit, which has been filed in Los Angeles. “Defendants failed to provide a safe venue, one that provided adequate signs and warnings that would have guided the crowd into a particular emergency exit route in the event of an alarm or emergency.”
The 2022 festival, which returns to Las Vegas Festival Grounds on 6 May, featured the likes of Usher, Lil Kim, Ne-Yo and Sean Paul.
Live Nation has not commented on the case.
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