A stage collapsed in Shelby, North Carolina, which forced the cancellation of American Legion World Series concerts featuring MercyMe, Aaron Shust, and The Afters.
A gust of wind caused the top of the stage at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds to collapse, reported the Shelby Star.
More than 10,000 people were expected to attend the concerts, which will not be rescheduled.
“The World Series officials are all devastated, but in the end, it was safety first for the artists,” said Brittany Spangler, administrative assistant for the American Legion World Series. “We’re sad, but you can’t really stop Mother Nature. We weren’t aware that the winds were going to get that high.”
The wind gust was about 35 to 40 miles per hour.
MercyMe band members said that they were doing a sound check when the collapse happened, and its bass player jumped off the stage to avoid getting hurt. The Afters were also doing a sound check and were able to get off the stage safely.
The American Legion World Series is planning to refund ticketholders beginning on Monday.
First responders told NBC that no one was injured in the collapse.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated where Shelby is. It’s in North Carolina.
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