When We Were Young festival day one cancelled due to "dangerous" weather

By Paul Brannigan
published

Organisers of the emo/pop-punk mega-fest When We Were Young call off the first staging of the event over safety concerns with severe weather forecasted

When We Were Young festival poster
(Image credit: Live Nation)

The first staging of the emo / pop-punk nostalgia fest When We Were Young has been called off due to severe weather warnings in Las Vegas. 

The festival, planned for today (October 22), tomorrow (October 23) and next Saturday (October 29), was to be headlined by My Chemical Romance and Paramore.

A statement from the organisers breaking the news to disappointed fans, reads:

“When We Were Young Festival organizers have spent the last several days proactively preparing the festival grounds for a windy Saturday. The National Weather Service has now upgraded their Saturday forecast to a High Wind Warning, including dangerous 30-40mph sustained winds with potential 60mph gusts.

“Under advisement of the National Weather Service and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, we have no other choice than to cancel today’s When We Were Young Festival. The safety of our fans, artists and staff will always be our top priority.”

“This was not a decision that came lightly. We know many of you traveled to the area to have a spectacular day with your favorite bands and have been looking forward to this day for months.  We were equally as excited and are devastated to have to share this news.”

Ticketholders for today's event are eligible for a full refund. At the time of writing, the shows set to take place on October 23 and 29 are still scheduled to proceed.

Paul Brannigan
Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.