A freak thunderstorm hit the Sonisphere Festival in Pori, Finland today about 4 p.m. local time, wreaking havoc with the day’s scheduled events.
According to the festival website, strong wind gusts damaged the stages and knocked down tents and fences; approximately 40 people have been reported injured, two of them seriously.
Sonisphere Festival series producer Stuart Galbraith said: “Our first thoughts go out to the injured people and we sincerely hope they will have a full recovery ”
The second stage was damaged beyond repair and, to guarantee the safety of the audience, artists and crew, the authorities closed the stage. The storm damaged Motley Crue’s equipment beyond repair, forcing their show to be cancelled. A post by Nikki Sixx to Facebook and Twitter confirmed this: “Our stage and equipment was just destroyed here in Finland by a huge storm. We are so sorry, but we’re told we cannot play tonight. F**K.”
Iggy Pop did play, performing an acoustic four-track set on the main stage, while the Sonisphere crew worked hard behind the scenes to dry everything out and make repairs to damage across the site.
Having borrowed a drum kit from Slayer, Alice Cooper is performing a full set on the main stage and Iron Maiden’s show will go ahead as scheduled, starting just before 10p local time and ending about 2 minutes to midnight. The police and city authorities have agreed to allow Iron Maiden to finish later than originally planned.
“We’re doing everything we can to ensure that the show can take place. The show will run so long as it can run safely.” said Galbraith.
Motley Crue -Kickstart My Heart - Dr. Feelgood (Bonus Track Version) Motley Crue – Kickstart My Heart
Live – 2005
