At 9:51 PM on Saturday night (June 20), Firefly was officially shut down.
The incoming lightning storm that was sure to conflict with Kings of Leon‘s headlining performance ended up wiping it right out, as a voice on the PA system confirmed that the festival grounds were being evacuated before the rain began to pour. Hundreds of festival goers deserted the main stage area and searched for an exit — any exit — as the wind picked up and rustled the black tarps covering what would have been Kings of Leon’s stage setup.
Filing out of Firefly involved walking amongst a sea of the confused and bewildered, hundreds of young music fans angry that their Saturday night was being scrapped before a drop of rain had fallen on The Woodlands in Dover, Delaware. “This! Is! Bull! Shit!” the crowd chanted as they filed out of the festival grounds, while others yelled “Fuck! The! Storm!” as they pumped their fists. At the Backyard Stage, where Kid Cudi had performed for 20 minutes before being cut off, hundreds of attendees refused to leave and yelled for the Cleveland rapper to return. A voice on the PA system urged the fans to disperse; “This is for your own safety,” it pleaded.
Kings of Leon Firefly Headlining Set Rained Out, Festival Evacuated
As the crowd was herded toward the exits, the lightning became radically visible. Whenever a bolt blasted into view, different members of the 90,000-strong march tossed up glow sticks, as if they were at an EDM show and each crack of light was a bass drop. Sorry, Steve Aoki, but on Saturday night, you were upended by Mother Nature.
Crossing the bridge away from the The Woodlands and toward Dover International Speedway, festival goers started belting out the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and the melody of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody.” At one point, a group of men began yelling “Shame! Shame! Shame!” — a callback to a pivotal scene in last week’s episode of Game of Thrones.
Campers were told to take down their pop-up tents, poles and canopies on Saturday night. In the herd, one bearded man was seen wandering around to various clusters of people and asking, “Anybody want a sleepover?” There were no takers.
Firefly 2015: Forced Evacuation, a Wardrobe Malfunction & More Memorable Moments From Saturday