Show-Me Shelter

A June 18 performance during the recent Show-Me Music & Arts Festival in Springfield, Mo., was cut short when a severe storm warning forced an evacuation of the fest.

Train was in the middle of its set when officials decided to pull the plug on the event and evacuate the grounds after receiving a tornado warning for the area.

“At about 11:15 [p.m.], we decided we were going to stop the show early, about 30 minutes early,” Greene County Emergency Management Director Ryan Nicholls told KYTV News.

But where exactly to move a field of concertgoers when a storm approaches?

In this case, organizers had to look no further than the ground on which they were standing. The fest was situated directly above Springfield Underground, a 2.4 million-square-foot shelter, and an emergency evacuation plan was already in place.

About 2,000 people were ushered down into the Underground, as well as 50 cars and a tour bus, according to KY3.

“The Underground could have held the entire venue, no problem,” Nicholls said.

Concertgoers reportedly waited out the storm for about two hours and even listened to an impromptu underground performance from The McClymonts.

The festival site was not damaged and Show-Me continued the following day.

Acts taking the stage during the June 17-19 event included Trace Adkins, Tim McGraw, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson and REO Speedwagon.