Canned Heat Costs College

A March 1 music festival canceled at the University of California’s Riverside campus because of lightning concerns could cost the school nearly $600,000 – but at least it didn’t cost any students their lives.

Despite a ticket disclaimer that the Heat Festival featuring Childish Gambino, Madeon, Ciara and others would go on “rain or shine,” university officials decided that a forecast of lightning in the area just before showtime was enough to call it off.

“We didn’t cancel the concert because of rain,” Highland Union Building Director Todd Wingate told the school’s Highlander. “We canceled it because there was potential lightning. That was the danger piece.”

Student union officials reportedly met regularly with the university emergency manager to monitor weather conditions in the days leading up to the concert, and gave a green light at 1 p.m. the day of show.

But as the afternoon progressed, the HUB’s production team was warned by those same officials that a potential thunderstorm was headed their way. At 4:15 p.m., security officials recommended the Heat Festival be canceled, and ticketholders were issued text messages, email and other notifications via social media that the concert would not go on, according to the Highlander.

Not surprisingly, many of the reported 12,000 disappointed ticketholders – who purchased guest tickets for non-student friends – complained and demanded refunds.

All but 19 tickets have been refunded in the days immediately following the cancellation, according to the paper.

“No one is more disappointed than my team that we were not able to deliver what we believe would have been the best Heat ever,” Wingate told the Highlander, which reported the cancellation cost the university some $570,000 including $70,000 in lost ticket sale revenue.