Lightning striking near Sydney’s Accor Stadium prompted an evacuation and delay at Taylor Swift’s concert.
According to Daily Mail, a heavy thunderstorm descended unexpectedly on Sydney Friday evening, with lightning striking just 10km away from Accor Stadium, where Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert was held. Fans on the ground level and lower bowel were asked to seek shelter. In videos recorded by the audience, concert-goers wearing raincoats were running indoors.
Accor Stadium released a statement shortly before 6 p.m., informing the audience that the three-hour show would be delayed: “Please note, due to weather, show start time has been delayed. Stay undercover until further notice and follow venue screens and staff instructions. Stay safe and remember to be kind to those around you.”
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Taylor Swift performing at The Eras Tour. Photo from Swift’s Instagram. |
Swift’s first show of The Eras Tour in Sydney was supposed to begin at 6.20pm with singer Sabrina Carpenter as an opening act and Swift to start at 7.30 p.m. Due to the inclement weather, Carpenter’s performance was canceled.
Accor Stadium had previously said the concert would go ahead “rain or shine,” unless the expected severe weather threatened people’s safety, reported The Guardian. Taylor Swift has performed in the rain many times in the past.
The rain was pouring for an hour before it stopped and fans returned to the stadium, waiting for the show to start.
Taylor Swift will perform four nights in Sydney, from Friday until Monday. Last weekend, she had three sold-out shows with a record-breaking audience – more than 96,000 people at Melbourne Cricket Ground stadium, according to People.
