The 5-minute freak thunderstorm hit the festival grounds about 4 p.m. local time, trashing the site’s second stage, Motley Crue’s gear and injuring 40 people, two seriously.
Finland’s national paper, the Helsingin Sanomat, reported today that the injuries at the music festival were caused by equipment and structures blowing from the stage and flying into the crowd. Four of the approximately 40 people who were injured were hospitalized, and two were reported to be in critical condition, although they were listed in stable condition today.
The sudden storm, either a downburst, or possibly a mini-tornado, lasted just five minutes, with thunder, rain, and hail filling up the sky in the late afternoon.
Freak storm hits Sonisphere Festival
Sonisphere Festival – Pori, Finland – August 8, 2010
Iggy Pop was the first artist on stage following the storm. “We’re a small part of the f*cking Stooges,” he said before playing an impromptu four-song acoustic set with guitarist James Williamson. For "I Wanna Be Your Dog," Iggy invited sax player Steve Mackay on stage, holding his mike to the horn for amplification – a rare sight in a festival setting.
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Sonisphere Festival – Pori, Finland – August 8, 2010
Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson rallied the post-storm crowd when he introduced Alice Cooper. “The stage over there is completely f*cked,” said Bruce. “Motley Crue have gone home as their stuff is f*cked and our stuff is f*cked, but we don’t care. We’re not going home until you go home.”
Alice played his full set, thanks to the helping hands of Slayer, who loaned Alice their drums. While Cooper was rocking the crowd, the stage crew reportedly used 30 hairdryers to work on drying out Alice’s kit behind the scenes.
Starting two hours later than scheduled, Sunday’s headliners Iron Maiden were reportedly pumped up for the performance, with Dickinson raving about the fans. “This is one of the most amazing concerts of my whole life,” said Dickinson. “We were pissed on by the gods and we pissed on the gods right back. For those of you that have rocked, we f*cking salute you.”
Maiden manager Rod Smallwood agreed, saying backstage: “This is the most amazing audience I’ve ever seen in Europe for any Iron Maiden gig ever.”
Fan-shot footage of the opening of Maiden’s set captured Dickinson wiping out the moment he landed at center stage.
Iron Maiden – Bruce Dickinson wipes out on stage
Sonisphere Festival – Pori, Finland – August 8, 2010
In just its second year, the Sonisphere Festival played to more than 700,000 fans through 11 countries across Europe. “It’s been an unbelievable tour and I’m so proud of the way we’ve dealt with any challenges,” said Sonisphere series producer Stuart Galbraith. “We’ve survived mud baths in Switzerland and Sweden, a sandstorm in Spain and now we’ve survived a tornado here in Finland.”
“Team Sonisphere is incredibly proud of our fans who stood here and stayed for the whole day,” continued Galbraith. “We’re just as proud of the crew who worked so hard to make the show happen and the bands who went out there and played their hearts out. We feel honoured to work with such a team. We can confirm we’ll be returning. “We’ve already starting planning next year and the show will definitely be coming back to Finland.”
The Finnish show was the final stop on this year's tour. Despite being unable to play yesterday due to damaged equipment, festival organizers have announced that Mötley Crüe will perform at next year’s event.
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