Concert Starts Early To Beat Storm

A Randy Houser concert at the St. Joseph County fair in South Bend, Ind., was moved up by 30 minutes June 30 to safely avoid an impending storm.

Photo: Rick Diamond / Getty Images for Neste Event Marketing

Country Stampede, Tuttle Creek State Park, Manhattan, Kans.

It’s a sign of increased awareness of fan and crew safety, coming just less than three years after a stage at the Indiana State Fair down the road in Indianapolis collapsed, killing six, from a freak wind gust.

Houser’s concert was to begin at 9 p.m., but instead started at 8:30 p.m.

Fair staff used social media to alert fans of the time change, and according to local WSBT-TV, fans didn’t appear to mind, or be too concerned about the incoming storm.

“Because it’s a country show, it doesn’t matter if it rains or not,” one concertgoer told the TV station.

The bleacher and stage areas are made of steel and concrete and stand up well to inclement weather, according to WSBT.

Workers also reportedly closely monitored the weather all day.