Louder Than Life Festival Cancels Friday Performances Due to Hurricane Helene

September 28, 2024 E Jazz Reporter

Music

The four-day event’s Sept. 27 lineup included Slayer, Anthrax and Evanescence.

Slayer performs at Arena Birmingham on Nov. 7, 2018 in Birmingham, England.

Steve Thorne/Redferns

Louder Than Life organizers in Louisville, Ky., were forced to cancel the rock festival‘s second day due to severe weather conditions caused by Hurricane Helene.

The four-day event at Louisville’s Highland Festival Grounds was called off Friday (Sept. 27) as 50-mile-per-hour winds blew into the region, along with heavy rains brought on by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

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“Louder Family, we’re heartbroken to share this, but the weather just isn’t in our favor today. We’ve been working closely with our meteorologists and local authorities, holding on to the hope that we can open doors, but the continuous wind gusts simply make it impossible for us to proceed safely,” Louder Than Life organizers wrote on Instagram. “We know how disappointing this is — it’s gut-wrenching for us too. But your safety, along with the safety of our artists and crew, will always be our number one priority.”

Louder Than Life’s Friday lineup included performances by Slayer, Till Lindemann, Anthrax, Evanescence and In This Moment. Organizers noted that single-day ticket-holders would be allowed to attend the festival on Saturday or Sunday, but they must be wearing their original Friday wristband for admittance.

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Saturday’s lineup includes performances by Mötley Crüe, Falling in Reverse, Disturbed, Chevelle, Dropkick Murphys and Mastodon. And Sunday will being sets by Korn, Judas Priest, Breaking Benjamin and Staind.

Louder Than Life launched on Thursday (Sept. 26) with performances by Slipknot, Five Finger Death Punch, The Offspring and Halestorm. On Friday, however, organizers warned on social media, “Rest assured, we’re keeping a close eye on the situation and will provide updates as soon as we can. Parking, doors, and set times will be adjusted, and we are committed to rockin’ with you as soon as it’s safe.”

On Thursday, a festival spokesperson told told the Courier-Journal that the event is “built to handle rain, but lightning and wind are what would cause us to need to pause the event. We’ll always make the right decision to ensure our fans’ safety.”

See Louder Than Life’s statement on Instagram below.

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