Tornado Preempts Sugarland Show

Tuscaloosa, Ala., could be out $225,000 for a Sugarland show that was recently canceled last minute in light of a tornado touching down in the city.

Sugarland had been paid and was apparently all set to headline a concert at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater April 15. The band had rolled into town with 10 18-wheelers and six buses and the stage was nearly assembled twice before being taken down because of high winds, according to the Tuscaloosa News.

Though officials told the paper they considered delaying the show until later in the evening, the city eventually decided to pull the plug to free up police and emergency personnel for storm response.

“The amount of damage to the 20 neighborhoods affected by the afternoon storms was going to require the entire focus of the city and its resources,” Mayor Walt Maddox told the News. “We didn’t know if we had anyone trapped (at 5 p.m.) We had multiple reports of gas leaks. So the decision was very clear.

“I believe if we had not had the damage from the tornado, we would have had the concert that night.”

Sugarland reportedly indicated that the band would like to reschedule the concert, however no dates had been announced at press time.