Fans at Louis Tomlinson‘s show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Wednesday (June 21) were sent scrambling for cover when a freak hail storm struck during the former One Direction singer’s solo show. According to Denver’s 9 News, seven people were transported to a local hospital for injuries and dozens more were treated at the scene when hail up to the size of tennis balls rained down on the crowd at the Morrison, CO open-air venue.
“Devastated about the show tonight, hope everyone’s ok, I’ll be back!,” Tomlinson tweeted several hours after the incident that initially delayed the start of the show twice before organizers postponed it following a long delay. “Even though we didn’t play the show I felt all of your passion! Send you all love!”
The West Metro Fire Department reported in a tweet that officers were responding to the historic venue after reports of several people hit by hail and injured at the concert, with the extent of injuries unclear at first. A follow-up tweet a short time later confirmed that seven people were hospitalized with non life-threatening injures, with a total of 80-90 more treated on scene with injuries reportedly including cuts, bumps, bruises, welts and broken bones amid scary social media posts showing attendees screaming and fleeing from the punishing ice storm.
A Red Rocks spokesperson told Denver’s Fox 31 that “several inches of hail” had fallen in the seating area, with one concertgoer saying she and her friends had taken shelter in a bathroom stall for more than an hour to avoid hail she described as “golf-ball” sized.
9 News reported that surprised concertgoers were sent scrambling for cover as the severe thunderstorm passed through around 9 p.m., with venue officials delaying the gig and asking fans to take cover and seek shelter around 8 p.m. The all-clear was given a short time later, but then a second delay was announced around 9:15 p.m.; the venue officially postponed the show at 10:25 p.m. due to a storm that reportedly spawned at least one confirmed tornado in the area. At press time there was no information on a make-up date for the gig.
Tomlinson’s next scheduled tour date is at the Wamu Theater in Seattle on Saturday (June 24).
Check out tweets about the hail storm below.
Devastated about the show tonight, hope everyone’s ok, I’ll be back! Even though we didn’t play the show I felt all of your passion! Sending you all love!
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) June 22, 2023
ATTN @Louis_Tomlinson concertgoers: We are currently in a weather delay ⛈️Please seek shelter in your vehicle and we’ll let you know when we’ve received the all clear
— Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre (@RedRocksCO) June 22, 2023
ATTN fans – we’re back in a weather delay due to approaching severe weather. Please seek shelter until further notice ☔️
— Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre (@RedRocksCO) June 22, 2023
Tonight’s show has officially been postponed. Please be safe exiting the amphitheatre – we’ll have more information for ticket holders soon
— Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre (@RedRocksCO) June 22, 2023
this is what we were fucking getting hit with at red rocks pic.twitter.com/ihBWT0I5XA
— allie (@ttwlgallie) June 22, 2023
drove 8 hours to see #LouisTomlinson tonight at Red Rocks. Praying for everyone who was there tonight. i have bruises and welts all over my back and legs. had to empty out boxes of shirts at the merch stand to be cover our heads. pic.twitter.com/qmGvRHKXUA
— jess (@i_jessThompson) June 22, 2023
WATCH: *Hailstorm* Golf ball-sized hail pelted at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks venue, injuring nearly 100 of the concertgoers
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) June 22, 2023
WMFR responding to Red Rocks, working with Stadium Medical at this hour. Several people hit by hail and injured at tonight’s concert. The number of potential patients and extent of injuries is not known at this time. pic.twitter.com/OwrguPhJDx
— WestMetroFire (@WestMetroFire) June 22, 2023
UPDATE: Red Rocks hail storm- 7 people transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. A total of 80 to 90 people treated on scene. Injuries include cuts and broken bones. Sporadic hail still coming down in Morrison area. @StadiumMedical pic.twitter.com/gM7KKNqocW
— WestMetroFire (@WestMetroFire) June 22, 2023
Red Rocks before Red Rocks after pic.twitter.com/CDWgk25mdU
— ✨Golden Lou✨ ×͜× 💙💚🏁 (@StylinsonLuv28) June 22, 2023
