After postponement, Siouxsie, Iggy Pop perform at Cruel World Music Festival in Pasadena
Fans finally got chance to see Siouxsie of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Iggy Pop at Pasadena's Rose Bowl on Sunday night, after the Cruel World Festival was cut short the previous evening due to a lightning storm and a severe weather alert from the National Weather Service.
Saturday night performances by Iggy Pop and Human League had been plagued by lightning and sound mishaps before organizers pulled the plug and evacuated the area shortly after 9 p.m. -- and before Siouxsie could take the stage for what organizers billed as her only North American performance in 2023.
"At the direction of (the) Pasadena Fire Department, the venue was evacuated due to unsafe weather conditions and lightning strikes in the area, verified by the National Weather Service," representatives of FKOA/Goldenvoice said on social media. "Siouxsie and Iggy Pop will be back at Brookside at the Rose Bowl Sunday, May 21 with Siouxsie performing an extended set."
Organizers said all Saturday passes will be honored when the doors open at 5 p.m. Sunday.
FKOA/Goldenvoice founded the festival in 2020 as an annual music event at Brookside at the Rose Bowl featuring top new wave, post-punk, gothic rock and alternative rock performers.
Others who were scheduled to perform this year included Billy Idol, Echo and the Bunnymen, Adam Ant and Modern English.
The inclement weather became apparent mid-way through Iggy Pop's set when his microphone cut out and an announcement was made soon afterward that festivalgoers would have to leave, according to a review and report at louderthanwar.com.
"OK, we have lightning, we need to evacuate the stage I'm told," the singer reportedly told the crowd.
The NWS warning said its radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm with the potential for lightning, 50 mph wind gusts and pea-sized hail.
Fans took to social media late Saturday with some expressing disappointment at the early ending but also sharing how much fun they had before the crowd was evacuated.
"Prior to Cruel World's untimely end, I did see many great performances and I will be posting pictures and videos from the festival promptly," Goth Music Latin America tweeted.
"I had a fun time at Cruel World even if it ended early!!!," another fan tweeted under the username @lighthouse_cell.
Performer Kitten Kuroi wasn't sure the remaining performances had been canceled, but decided not to take any chances after appearing on stage with Billy Idol.
"We ran out of there so fast and I couldn't communicate with any of my friends that were in the festival," she said on Twitter.
City News Service contributed to this report.
