INDIO, CA - APRIL 30: Singer Kenny Chesney performs onstage during 2011 Stagecoach: California's Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 30, 2011 in Indio, California.
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesA Kenny Chesney concert scheduled for this weekend in New England has been rescheduled for safety reasons. Chesney was to perform Sunday at Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium but will instead appear at the same venue on Friday.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center has warned that hurricane-level storms may occur in the area, and organizers aren’t taking any chances in light of recent concert accidents in Indiana and Belgium.
Promoter Louis Messina of TMG/AEG Live said, “Our first and foremost priority is the fans’ safety, so we have made the difficult decision to reschedule the show.”
Chesney reinforced the safety theme in a statement, “I want the last weekend of the Going’ Coastal Tour to be a great experience for everybody. But I also want it to be the safest experience for everyone.
“‘I’ve always said Foxboro is a highlight of our tour, because the fans are ready for a great night of music and fun no matter what the night is!”
Ticketholders who can’t make Friday’s concert will be offered refunds at point of purchase.
The rescheduling is in the wake of several weather-related accidents that have killed and injured concertgoers in recent months.
Seven people have died from being hit by a stage that toppled over during a storm at the Indiana State Fair on Aug. 13. The fans were waiting to see Sugarland. At least five people were killed Aug. 18 at the Pukkelpop music festival in Belgium.
Shows by the Flaming Lips, Cheap Trick and INXS have also been affected by extreme weather this summer.
