Dozens Injured at Louis Tomlinson Red Rocks Concert in Hail Storm

One Direction alum Louis Tomlinson was forced to cancel his performance after golf ball-sized hail pelted concertgoers at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver, causing dozens of injuries. According to West Metro Fire Rescue in a statement posted to Twitter, up to 90 people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries caused by Wednesday night’s storm, including seven who were transported to a hospital. 

“Seven people [were] transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. A total of 80 to 90 people [were] treated on scene. Injuries include cuts and broken bones,” West Metro Fire Rescue stated. The hail injured some, and others while trying to flee from the storm sustained injuries such as bruising, lacerations, and broken bones, spokesperson Ronda Scholting told the Associated Press.

The Guardian reported that witnesses described the incident as “straight out of a horror movie.” There are videos of the hailstorm that have been uploaded to social media showing people running to take shelter and others covering their heads with boxes retrieved from merchandise stands as a means of protection. “I have bruises and welts all over my back and legs,” wrote concertgoer Jess Thompson in a post. The Denver Gazette identified another concertgoer as Nicole, who posted the following account: “It started pelting people with hail … and I luckily found shelter under a sign. I am bleeding and have huge bumps on my head from the hail.” In some areas of the amphitheater, the hail piled up like snow. In a tweet from the venue, which was carved out of a sedimentary rock formation in the foothills, fans were advised to take shelter in their vehicles due to the weather. 

British singer Tomlinson posted on his Twitter account that he was concerned for those injured or affected by the accident and that the concert was canceled due to public safety concerns. “Devastated about the show tonight, hope everyone’s ok, I’ll be back! Even though we didn’t play the show I felt all of your passion! Sending you all love!” he wrote. According to the Gazette, those organizers who were advised to seek shelter in their cars during the storm found that their windshields had been shattered when they returned to their vehicles. After receiving an all-clear from the loudspeaker announcements, the newspaper reports that people were advised to return to the amphitheater, only for a second wave of hail to send them scrambling for cover less than an hour later. Consequently, the concert was canceled.