A storm system in the Milwaukee area canceled one act at Wisconsin State Fair and delayed another downtown.
The State Fair posted to social media that fairgoers should seek immediate shelter and later that the show for comedian Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias was canceled.
People who purchased tickets through Etix will be automatically refunded. People who purchased tickets at the State Fair ticket office using cash should visit the ticket office Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. with the original tickets and identification.
Meanwhile, at the BMO Pavilion on the lakefront, where Vampire Weekend was set to perform, the show was delayed, according to a reporter at the concert.
Vampire Weekend eventually took the stage at 9:45 p.m. Thursday – 90 minutes later than planned – ripping through one of their signature songs, “Cousins.” The band was expected to play close to the midnight curfew.
It was a night of some frustration for concertgoers as some strikes of lightning were evident in the distance, with light rain over the grounds, shortly before 8 p.m., about 20 minutes after opener Ra Ra Riot wrapped.
At 8:02 p.m., a message was made over the venue’s speaker system for concertgoers to take shelter in their cars. But the rain and lightning had already arrived, prompting a crew member to come to a mic on stage a minute later to tell people to disregard the message. He asked people to instead come under the covered seating closer to the stage. The storm quickly intensified about 15 minutes later, with rapid flashes of lightning, loud roars of thunder and heavy downpours prompting exasperated cries from the crowd.
Around 8:30 p.m. no indication had been provided by venue staff when, or if, the Vampire Weekend show would resume. At that point the winds picked up dramatically with even people under the venue roof getting soaked, prompting people to get even closer to the stage.
The storm over Maier Festival Park was tamer by 9 p.m., but lightning was still in the area, with the status of the Vampire Weekend concert still unknown to the audience.
At 9:21 p.m., with the rain cleared and occasional lightning in the distance, crew members at the BMO Pavilion took the covers off instruments and gear to cheers from the crowd. About 10 minutes later, a crew member confirmed from the stage that the show would start soon.
Strong thunderstorms were expected to impact southeastern Wisconsin Thursday night until after 9 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Winds were expected to be as high as 50 miles per hour with heavy rain and lightning.
NWS also issued a flood advisory for Milwaukee and Waukesha counties until 10:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gabriel 'Fluffy' Iglesias at Wisconsin State Fair canceled due to storm; Vampire Weekend at BMO Pavilion delayed
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