Over the weekend, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds North American tour attendees in Saratoga Springs, NY, were forced to evacuate the concert venue following a bomb threat.
Metric and Garbage were both able to perform, but before Gallagher could commence his headlining set, Saratoga Performing Arts Center patrons were asked to proceed to the nearest exit at around 10 p.m. local time. According to WNYC reporter Jon Campbell, at that point, someone came on stage and told the crowd that the show would not continue "due to circumstances beyond our control."
An announcement was then shared on the venue's digital monitors, reading: "ATTENTION! At this time, we will need you to evacuate the venue. We ask you to calmly proceed to the nearest EXIT. Please follow directions of staff and police officers. For the safety of everyone, please do NOT push or rush. Thank you for your cooperation."
Metric and Garbage were both able to perform, but before Gallagher could commence his headlining set, Saratoga Performing Arts Center patrons were asked to proceed to the nearest exit at around 10 p.m. local time. According to WNYC reporter Jon Campbell, at that point, someone came on stage and told the crowd that the show would not continue "due to circumstances beyond our control."
An announcement was then shared on the venue's digital monitors, reading: "ATTENTION! At this time, we will need you to evacuate the venue. We ask you to calmly proceed to the nearest EXIT. Please follow directions of staff and police officers. For the safety of everyone, please do NOT push or rush. Thank you for your cooperation."
"We have no idea what happened tonight," Garbage tweeted after the incident, "We were just all evacuated and we were concerned for everyone !!!"
We have no idea what happened tonight. We were just all evacuated and we were concerned for everyone !!!
— Garbage (@garbage) July 9, 2023
I'm sorry we have no real information . We were just told there was an emergency evacuation!!!!
It wasn't revealed until yesterday (July 9) that the reason for the abrupt cancellation was a bomb threat. New York State Police provided an update on the situation via Facebook, letting people know the true nature of the threat to concertgoers' safety.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center was suspended at 9:40 p.m. and concert attendees were evacuated without incident. K9s completed a sweep of the venue after the crowd exited, with negative results," their post read. "This incident is under investigation. This case will be investigated as, Making a Terroristic Threat, a Class D Felony."