Keane Fans Evacuated Due to Power Outage at Nashville Show
Power outages are pretty common in the summer, when the heat and humidity lead to air conditioners and fans working overtime, putting pressure on the infrastructure of utilities providers. Concerts are not exempt from such instances, as British piano pop rockers Keane found out on Thursday (June 21) when performing at Marathon Music Works in Nashville. The band had its set short due to a power outage that was actually caused by a MMW transformer catching fire. Clearly, it was no fault of the band.
According to Nashville Scene's Nashville Cream, Keane were six songs into their set when a wire that supplied power to the building (and thus, Keane's instruments) melted. Venue owner Chris Cobb said he saw "a little bit of flame" that eventually went out by itself. But the melting caused the power to certain parts of the building to go out. Other sections of the venue did not experience an outage. While the PA was out, the lights remained on.
The crowd was evacuated through a back entrance, despite little-to-no threat of fire, since the club owners put attendees safety first.
It was not a complete bust, as opener Patrick Wilson staged an impromptu performance outside the club for the remaining attendees. The members of Keane graciously mingled with their fans, shaking hands and signing autographs.
You can see the venue's complete statement on the power outage here. Some of the logistics of the outage are explained, while Cobb said, "We're very sorry Keane fans were not able to see the entire performance. It was a great show and we hate that circumstances out of our control cut it short."
Hey, stuff happens, right? At least Keane took the time to get up close and personal with their fans. Hopefully they'll be back sooner than later for a full show in Nashville in support of 'Strangeland.'