Gorge Has A First

Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson were expected to play the George, Wash., venue Sept. 28. Live Nation pulled the plug after the opening act, Rozzi Crane, had already started her set at around 7 p.m.

Wind gusts had reached 40 mph and production, artist management and venue management made a collective decision to not have the show go forward, according to Live Nation’s Jeff Trisler.

“We’ve soldiered through some pretty rough situations in the past but this one was unique,” Trisler told Pollstar. “The stage is perched on a cliff, and the back and the sides are typically where the wind comes from, and we have very strong wind walls. This was unique in that the wind was coming in from the front, where there is no protection.”

Trisler added that it was disappointing to tell 20,000 people that the show was over just as it started, but “it sure beats the heck out of having to talk to somebody’s family because there was an accident.”