Louder Than Life was forced to cancel the Friday lineup of the weekend-long Louisville, Kentucky festival due to weather conditions spurred on by Hurricane Helene.
While the festival managed to stage its opening day on Thursday, wind gusts reaching 55 miles per hour and heavy showers from Helene entered the area Friday, according to the Courier-Journal. Gov. Andy Beshear also declared a state of emergency for eastern Kentucky amid the historic rainfall that swept the Southern states.
The festival initially planned on soldiering through the weather Friday, as the lots were opened in anticipation of the fest that afternoon. However, three hours after lots opened, a “shelter in place” warning was issued for festival goers who made it to Highland Festival Grounds. Soon after, the second day of the festival was canceled.
“Louder family, we’re heartbroken to share this, but the weather just isn’t in our favor today. We’ve been working closely with our meteorologists and local authorities, holding on to hope that we could open doors, but the continuous wind gusts simply make it impossible for us to proceed safely,” Louder Than Life organizers said on social media.
“Throughout the day there were moments where it seemed possible, but in the end, Mother Nature won this round.”
The reunited Slayer, Evanescence, Anthrax, Tom Morello and the U.S. debut of Rammstein’s Till Lindemann as a solo artist were among the acts impacted by Friday’s cancelation.
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“We know how disappointing this is — it’s gut-wrenching for us too. But you safety, along with the safety of our artists and crew, will always be our number one priority,” organizers added.
While rain is still in the forecast for the Louisville area Saturday, the strength of it, as well as the winds, are expected to subside, the Courier-Journal added. Organizers also said they “fully intend to rock out” Saturday, which — if the weather holds — is set to include Motley Crue, Disturbed, Dropkick Murphys, Three 6 Mafia, and Mastodon playing Leviathan in its entirety.