Storm Knocks Down Flaming Lips’ Show

In addition to canceling the last day of Escape To New York and INXS’s Sunday gig, the weekend wind and rain also stole the show at Saturday’s Brady District Block Party. The storm sent the Flaming Lips’ video projection screen toppling over the stage before the band could play one note.

The Block Party took place in Tulsa, Okla., at Brady Village Stage Downtown.
Event coordinators started clearing the stage after the strong winds began knocking over food tents, according to the Oklahoman. The Flaming Lips’ 15-foot video screen fell over minutes later. Rolling Stone noted that the band and roadies quickly cut off the electricity once the storm started, adding that the wind was blasting the stage at between 70 to 80 miles per hour.

Nobody was injured in the accident.

Singer Wayne Coyne documented the collapse on his cellphone through a series of tweets. One picture he tweeted showed Tulsa police and firemen on stage with the caption, “F**K!!!! Wind and rain destroyed the stage !!!!!” He also helped the crew get the gear off the stage before the storm got any worse.

Matt Duckworth, a Flaming Lips roadie, told the Oklahoman that he estimated the crash affected about $800,000 worth of equipment.

Bassist Michael Ivins, who was onstage when the screen collapsed, said the band’s equipment wasn’t the first thing on his mind.

“I was more concerned that I survived,” he told the Oklahoman.

“We were all on stage thinking, What are we actually going to do, here? It was just pouring down rain,” he told Rolling Stone. “Then the screen started moving. There wasn’t a lot of space between the screen and an eight-foot drop. I basically had to leap over one of the legs [of the screen] to get out of the way. It was definitely pretty crazy.”

Brady District Block Party was closed down around 6 p.m. Primus also didn’t get a chance to perform.

According to a post on the festival’s website, promoters and artists are “working on [a] possible reschedule date.” The post notes that the process may take up to 14 days. Fans are advised to hold onto their tickets. Refund information will be announced once the show has been rescheduled or canceled.