Halsey and her fans in Maryland certainly didn’t expect their night to go down like it did, with the singer’s concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion eventually being canceled due to “weather-related technical difficulties.” I think that's something of an understatement, though, after seeing the insane videos from the event that fans were posting to social media. Wild thunderstorms threw concertgoers into chaos, as the venue started flooding with water pouring in from the roof of the indoor/outdoor facility.
The concert was reportedly a “rain or shine” event, and a huge crowd had gathered in the pavilion to see Halsey, who stars in the evocative film experience Halsey: If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, currently available to stream for HBO Max subscribers. Despite the forecast for thunderstorms, however, nobody could have expected the hectic scene that followed. Videos posted to Twitter were absolutely unreal, showing water cascading down the floors of the venue, flooding the pit area in front of the stage:
Update on the pit for Halsey… pic.twitter.com/UesHieWg36June 9, 2022
One video showed just how hard the water was falling from the roof down to a large section of vacated seats, while some lucky(?) patrons who were still in the area tried to find some relief under an umbrella:
Halsey’s team went all out with the special effects for this tour pic.twitter.com/ydEvGVZwtbJune 9, 2022
A particularly disturbing post that has drawn a lot of attention online showed a man kicking a squirrel off the stage as it scurried to find shelter from the storm. Despite the squirrel struggling to escape the flooded pit, the Twitter user reported that the squirrel had made it safely backstage.
There’s no way this halsey Maryland show is real like WHAT pic.twitter.com/vojuVzalumJune 9, 2022
Before things got really bad, the concertgoers reacted to the growing storm with lots of noise, as the rain swirled into the venue. One Twitter video shows the moment the water started pouring in from the roof onto the Halsey fans below:
it’s GETTING CRAZY IN MARYLAND RN #LoveandPowerTour #halsey #Maryland pic.twitter.com/mTwVZ3X9KSJune 9, 2022
The Sing 2 actress — who has talked before about how connected she is to her fans — responded in multiple tweets to the chaos that ensued when the pavilion started to flood, telling one fan she would have done anything to not disappoint them, even play a shortened set if that had been possible, but she wouldn’t risk their safety. She tweeted that she was “heartbroken and panicked” when she saw what was happening:
Maryland I don’t even know what to say. If you missed my live, I’ll post something soon explaining what happened. But right now I’m heartbroken and panicked and I just want to know when/that you all get home safely. I love you guys more than anything.
The “Bad at Love” singer also slammed the Merriweather Post Pavilion for how the situation was handled, and assured fans on Twitter that she was working to reschedule the show, and when that happened, it was going to be held at a different venue:
I really want to add that I am beyond disappointed with the way the venue handled everything tonight and my rescheduled date will be happening somewhere else. I hear you guys loud and clear I promise.
I can’t blame her for having that reaction, based on the crazy videos being posted from concertgoers. While thunderstorms can’t be avoided, that could have turned into a dangerous situation, and it looked like fans were left waiting in that storm — many apparently standing in the water — for a while before the show was officially canceled.
It’s a testament to Halsey's fans that they were willing to get out in that weather and wait around to see if a show would happen! In the end, the crowd’s safety was the most important thing, and we just hope everyone made it home all right.
