Tens of thousands of music enthusiasts were dealt a cruel blow when the first day of When We Were Young, one of the most eagerly awaited music festivals in recent memory, was postponed on Saturday owing to strong winds.
Many attendees had single-day tickets due to the way the lineup was set up. Unfortunately, that meant there was nothing for Saturday ticket holders to go to. All was not lost, though.
Some of the bands from the list performed in last-minute pop-up events,
such as The All-American Rejects, who rocked out for hundreds of people for a free, all-ages show in the Arts District.
The first band to tweet about a last-minute pop-up show in place of the festival was The All-American Rejects. They announced their plans to perform at Soul Belly BBQ on Main Street in the Las Vegas Arts District via Twitter shortly after the festival was postponed.
Tyson Ritter, the band’s frontman, told FOX5 during the event that he was concerned about the festival’s cancellation on Friday night after glancing at the weather prediction. He claimed he then started organizing the pop-up show with the proprietor of the facility.
It hurts for everyone who traveled internationally and who had been anticipating this event for a year, but it’s not our responsibility. And, uh, we tried all we could to like, you know, patch up this corroded artery,” Ritter added.
After being crushed by the cancellation announcement, a fan informed us she was appreciative of the band doing this.
I thought, “Well, that’s it. I’ll probably go home and avoid seeing anyone. I nearly sobbed. As a result, I’m just incredibly grateful that they have done this and believe that they genuinely care about their followers. It’s amazing… I love you All-American Rejects!, said Anna Staples, owner of a ticket to the When We Were Young concert on Saturday.
Ritter stated that being able to highlight the Arts District meant a lot to him.
“I believe that what we can do to make up for it is a gift. To be able to visit Downtown Las Vegas—the real Las Vegas—and demonstrate to visitors that there is an arts district, a working-class that take pride in their community and isn’t only dependent on tourism, and that Soul Belly and the area around it has soul, said Ritter.
Staples said the program was entertaining.
“This was certainly among the best shows I’ve ever seen. extremely private. I believe that this is my closest encounter with the stage to date. Staples exclaimed, “I’m just so delighted right now.
While stunned festivalgoers searched for a place to go, other acts from the list played one-off gigs at local casinos. Bring Me The Horizon, another band on the lineup, performed at the Palms Hotel & Casino. As people tried to enter the Pearl Theater to watch their performance, lines of people snaked through the casino.