Prestigious US music festival Austin City Limits has closed a day early this year after the second weekend of the event was pelted with what Thom Yorke called a “storm to end all storms”. Many high-profile acts were unable to perform, with some taking to Twitter to vent their frustration.
A bit of rain never hurt anyone, though when organisers start getting flash flood warnings it was probably a good idea to err on the side of caution. It’s been reported that between 5 and 11 inches of rain fell in the region of the venue overnight.
The decision meant key features of the lineup, including Yorke’s Atoms for Peace, Lionel Richie, The National and Phoenix could no longer perform. Some musicians, such as Thom Yorke seemed somewhat excited by the situation, though Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand seemed pretty bummed when he tweeted his thoughts into the Twitterverse.
Organisers have posted a video of the aftermath of the storm (below) and confirmed that punters will be refunded one-third of their ticket price, stating, “Our first priority is always the safety of our fans, staff and artists.”
You can also check out full sets from Arctic Monkeys, Queens Of The Stone Age and Depeche Mode below.
Watch: Austin City Limits 2013 – (Not So) Easy Like Sunday Morning
Watch: Arctic Monkeys – Live At Austin City Limits
http://youtu.be/jOWqWEMygE0
Watch: Queens Of The Stone Age – Live At Austin City Limits
http://youtu.be/yo9ltfmS5n4
Watch: Depeche Mode – Live At Austin City Limits
So disappointed that ACL is cancelled. I've been looking forward to this all week.
— alex kapranos (@alkapranos) October 13, 2013
Austin Texas tonight. A storm to end all storms! Lightning and thunder & rain like I have never seen..
— Thom Yorke (@thomyorke) October 13, 2013
(Via Rolling Stone)