UPDATE: Coldplay has now postponed the concert. Only 7 hours before it was slated to start.
Fan safety needs to be the priority for any and all concerts and events. In many cases promoters and artists decide to cancel or reschedule shows when conditions are not entirely safe. That is why it is a bit weird that Coldplay has decided not to cancel or even just reschedule their show in Houston tomorrow as a Hurricane is expected to make landfall during their performance.
UPDATE: @coldplay #NRGStadium pic.twitter.com/511P3En7x5
— NRG Park (@NRGParkFan) August 24, 2017
Wait…Seriously?
Yes, you read that correctly. Coldplay is scheduled to play at NRG stadium in Houston tomorrow night. The big issue is that so is Hurricane Harvey. The storm is expected to make landfall on the southeastern coast of Texas tomorrow night. While the storm is making a direct course for a bit south of Houston. The city is expected to get over 15 inches of rain Friday night in Saturday. Houston is also notorious for flooding, and NRG stadium lies in a low elevation part of the city.
Many Other Groups Pull Out
Many other groups have decided to cancel or reschedule their shows in the city this weekend including Lady Antebellum. But still Coldplay has decided to move forward. This has garnered a seriously angry reaction from many fans. They feel that the group is putting profits over the safety of their fans.
While Hurrican Harvey is not expected to make a devastating impact in the city until early Saturday, fans are traveling from as far as Mexico and Florida to attend. Flights will be canceled, roads will be closed and possible evacuations protocol will be put into place. Best case scenario? Fans attend and then immediately escape from a city headings towards a state of emergency. Still the band has decided to press forward with the event, potentially putting tens of thousands of their fans in serious danger. Fans are pissed to say the least.
This is probably one of the worst decisions ever made. The lives of thousands has surely got to mean something. Who made the call to go on?.
— Bobby Balderas (@manofimpact) August 24, 2017
What an absolute joke. So many people have to travel in to see this concert. This is extremely dangerous and irresponsible.
— Jennifer Lehman (@JenLehmanDallas) August 24, 2017
Terrible call.
People evacuating. Historic floods predicted. Hurricane getting worse.
Hey…let's keep our money from a mostly empty show.😠— Marcel LeJeune (@MarcelLeJeune) August 24, 2017