The band was three songs into their headlining set Friday night at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater located outside St. Louis in Maryland Heights, Mo., when pigeon droppings overwhelmed the group, forcing them off the stage.

News reports indicate pigeons managed to hit Jared Followill three or four times by the third song, and that the band left the stage after one of those droppings landed too close to the bassist’s mouth for comfort.

Evidently the audience was unaware of the band’s pigeon problems and started chanting obscenities and demands for refunds shortly after the Followill brothers walked off the stage, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which reports the crowd was eventually told the concert was canceled because of “safety concerns.”

Fans eventually got the lowdown on the cancellation when drummer Nate Followill tweeted the news.

“So sorry St. Louis. We had to bail, pigeons (expletive) in jareds mouth. Too unsanitary to continue.”

Kings Of Leon representative Ken Weinstein said the band had been warned about the pigeon infestation in the venue’s rafters and had noticed opening bands The Stills and The Postelles had come off the stage “riddled” with pigeon feces.

“No band would play under those conditions,” Weinstein said.

According to the Post-Dispatch, Live Nation announced fans can get ticket refunds beginning today.

Click here to read the complete St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.