A recent Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds gig in New York was cancelled midway through due to a bomb threat.
During Gallagher’s show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs on Saturday (July 8), a message appeared on screens in the venue instructing people to proceed to the exits, which read: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the show will not continue.”
The NYS Park Police later confirmed that a bomb threat was the reason for the show’s abrupt cancellation.
A statement from the police read: “New York State Police, City of Saratoga Springs Police, Troy Police, and Saratoga Co. Sheriff’s Department responded to a bomb threat at Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saturday. Out of an abundance of caution, the concert was suspended at 9:40 pm Saturday and concert attendees were evacuated without incident.”
Update: It was a bomb threat, per NYS Park Police. pic.twitter.com/mj5fcTEaT7
— Jon Campbell (@JonCampbellNY) July 9, 2023
They added: “K9s completed a sweep of the venue after the crowd exited, with negative results. The incident is under investigation. This case will be investigated as, Making a Terroristic Threat, Class D Felony.”
The venue evacuation happened after both support acts, Metric and Garbage, had already played their opening sets. Garbage took to Twitter to share that they were not aware of the situation.
“We have no idea what happened tonight. We were just all evacuated and we were concerned for everyone!!! I’m sorry we have no real information . We were just told there was an emergency evacuation!!!!” they wrote.
We have no idea what happened tonight. We were just all evacuated and we were concerned for everyone !!!
I’m sorry we have no real information . We were just told there was an emergency evacuation!!!!— Garbage (@garbage) July 9, 2023
The tour is set to continue tonight (July 10) at the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage in Central Park in New York. From there, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will head off to Columbia’s Merriweather Post Pavilion (July 13), Philadelphia’s TD Pavilion at the Mann (July 14) and MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston (July 15).
Previously, the band were forced to cancel their show at Breese Stevens Field in Wisconsin due to poor air quality. Promoter FPC Live said the decision was “based on the Public Health Madison & Dane County’s Air Quality Advisory”.
In other Noel Gallagher news, the former Oasis member called Guns N’ Roses’ Glastonbury headline set “crazy shit”.
“I thought, ‘What? Are you being serious? That’s crazy shit’,” he told the Daily Star‘s ‘Wired’ column, recalling the moment he found out Guns N’ Roses were headlining the iconic British festival.
“When you think of all the huge British artists who’ve had albums out this past year, having Guns N’ Roses headlining the Saturday is mad.”
Earlier this month, Gallagher said that songs he’s performing live off his latest album weren’t getting a good reception from his US audiences.
Elsewhere, the musician also recently said The 1975 were “shit” and “not rock”.
Speaking to NME for the In Conversation series, Gallagher said: “I was watching [The 1975 at the BRITs] with my kids, two teenage lads, thinking, ‘Is it me being a grumpy old man, or is this shit?’ They were both going, ‘Oh no, this is fucking shit’. The 1975, Best Rock Band? Someone needs to re-define that immediately, because that is… I don’t know what that is, but it’s certainly not fucking rock. Whatever rock is, that’s not it.”