Janet Jackson and Lady Antebellum Cancels Shows at Indiana State Fair, Maroon 5 Plans Benefit Show
Janet Jackson and Lady A says “no” to Indiana State Fair performances; Maroon 5 is singing another tune
As reported by HiFi after the recent tragedy scaring the festivities at the Indiana State Fair involving a stage collapse at a Sugarland/Sara Bareilles concert, other acts were planned to perform throughout the rest of the fair’s tenure. Looks like shows featuring Janet Jackson and Lady Antebellum will be scrapped for the week.
Both artists were slated to perform at Hoosier Lottery Grandstand, but those plans were under question after a hulk of stage rigging and equipment was shoved over by a burst of wind up to 70 mph, killing five and injuring 45 persons on Saturday.
On Sunday, Jackson, born in nearby Gary, Indiana, told her followers on Twitter (@janetjackson) that she was “heartbroken” by the tragedy and offered her “prayers and love to Indiana.”
A double bill concert featuring Maroon 5 and Train was also slated to take place at the fair. It will go on as scheduled but a new location will be selected on Tuesday, according to fair spokesman Andy Klotz.
Before the announcement was made in Indiana, Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine told Billboard.com on Monday that he had at least some reservations about playing a rock concert at the fair so soon after the tragedy. “It just doesn’t seem like the right sort of atmosphere, y’know?,” he noted. “It’ll probably take some time to heal. It’s such a tragedy.”
In addition to the rescheduled show, Valentine also hinted that Maroon 5 will probably organize a benefit show specifically designed for the victim’s families.
A heroic deed by Sugarland’s tour manager Hellen Rollens, to keep the band backstage minutes before the stage collapse, is being reported as being the single thing saving the group from tragedy.
“Everybody was standing in a prayer circle getting ready to go onstage, and Hellen, as she was walking down the ramp, the stage fell,” said Sugarland’s manager Gail Gellman. “Her decision to hold them for literally a minute saved every band member and crew’s life.”
The company that erected the show stage, Mid-America Sound Corp., released a statement saying they were launching an internal investigation “to understand, to the best of our ability, what happened.”
So what do you think?
Should the artists perform this week?
Postpone it for another time?
Come together for a benefit?
Share your comments.
