Morgan Wallen cancels 2nd Pittsburgh concert - TribLIVE.com

A threat of severe weather, which ended up not hitting Pittsburgh, prompted the cancellation of the second Morgan Wallen concert Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. While some rain did come through the North Shore in the mid-to-late afternoon, bringing the nearby Pittsburgh Pride Festival to an early close, the widespread severe weather did not materialize and instead was south of the city. In a social media post at 1:03 p.m. Saturday, Wallen said weather forced the cancellation. “After talking with local officials and my team, there is no choice but to cancel tonight’s show due to severe adverse weather conditions expected throughout the rest of the day and night,” the post said. “Safety for my fans and crew is the highest priority. Refunds available at point of purchase.” Around 10 p.m. Saturday, Wallen made another social media post, detailing more of what happened. “All right, y’all. This morning, my team walked on my bus, told me that they had been consulting with local officials, and that I should cancel my show in Pittsburgh (Saturday night). And I said, why? They said that there was gonna be strong winds in the area, and I said OK. So that’s what I did,” Wallen said in his Instagram stories. “And that was the information I had in the moment, and I trusted my team. I understand that that wind and whatever else hasn’t gotten to Pittsburgh yet. I know it has touched some of Pennsylvania so my heart goes out to all those affected by it. “But the truth of the matter is, I have a large stage and in those conditions, it could become fatal to a lot of folks around it. So I did the best I could with the information I had in that moment. I’ve been seeing a lot of nonsense about me that is simply not true, and I just wanted to clear the air. I think my true fans know that that’s not how I operate in general, but I had to say it. Y’all take care.” WTAE meteorologist Jill Szwed had told TribLive earlier Saturday morning that scattered thunderstorms were in the cards for the Pittsburgh area. “It is what it is. You can’t control Mother Nature,” said Nate Lynch, a concertgoer from Monessen who was tailgating Saturday afternoon. “It’s fortunate we’re going to be able to get our tickets refunded.” Lynch and his group of 10 to 15 friends, including some still on their way, were among those who opted to stay and tailgate despite the concert being called off — and before rain arrived shortly before 3 p.m. For $12, they were able to set up their tailgates in the Gold Lots, where they could enjoy the food and drink they had brought, play games and listen to music — recorded music. “We’re still going to make the best out of a crappy situation,” said Jim Panichella of Oakmont. “The beer is on ice. The food is warm and ready to go. We’re still going to have some fun.” His friend, John Wilson, of McCandless, was of the same mindset, if a bit surly. “I cut my sleeves off for nothing!” Wilson said. “At least they’re letting people in the lots to tailgate. Half the fun is the tailgate. I feel bad for the people from out of town.” The country music superstar, known for songs like “Last Night” and “Whiskey Glasses,” had performed a career-spanning, 2-hour, 20-minute concert to a packed house Friday night at Acrisure.   Related • Review: Country star Morgan Wallen packs Acrisure Stadium   Wallen had been slated to perform with Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock and Zach John King on Saturday, with Langley taking the place of Brooks & Dunn, who performed Friday. King wound up playing a set at Tequila Cowboy, a North Shore bar/restaurant, on Saturday afternoon. Staff writer Brian C. Rittmeyer contributed to this report. Mike Palm is a TribLive digital producer who also writes music reviews and features. A Westmoreland County native, he joined the Trib in 2001, where he spent years on the sports copy desk, including serving as night sports editor. He has been with the multimedia staff since 2013. He can be reached at mpalm@triblive.com. Daily and weekly updates delivered straight to your inbox. Get news alerts first, right in your browser. Daily and weekly updates delivered straight to your inbox. Support our journalism and get an ad-free experience on all your devices.