Country Band Forced To Cancel Show

The Avett Brothers / Facebook

Country/rock/folk band The Avett Brothers were forced to cancel their concert on Saturday (July 7). As concertgoers were filling into the Edgefield McMenamins in Troutdale, Oregon, a man with a gun attempted to enter the venue.

According to the statement released by the band, “an individual passing through the metal detector was found to be carrying a gun.

A security guard informed the man of the venue’s no-firearm policy, and the man informed her that he was a police officer from out of state, and provided a badge. The security guard then told the man to wait for her manager to see how they would proceed.

The man did not listen to her instructions and continued into the venue, where security lost sight of him. After searching, they still could not locate him, so they made the decision to cancel the performance and get everyone out of the venue.

“Due to the obvious threat posed by someone in the audience with a firearm, regardless of his (unconfirmed) claim of being a member of law enforcement, we were obligated, for the safety of everyone present, to cancel the performance,” the Avett Brothers wrote in their statement. “It was unfortunate that such action had to be taken, but we have no regret in being in a position to make a decision which helps to keep our fans safe,”

The band, which is made up of brothers Scott and Seth Avett, Bob Crawford, Joe Kwon, Mike Marsh, and Tania Elizabeth, said they will be making up the concert as early as they can. Cellist Joe Kwon took to Twitter to apologize to the fans.

The venue’s Instagram account announced that tickets for the July 7 show will be honored whenever the rescheduled date will be.

Hi Everyone – Below is an update on tonight's situation at The Avett Brothers show. We are currently working to reschedule the date, but will not have any news until next week on that possibility. If a reschedule date is possible, your Avett Brothers ticket for tonight's show (Saturday July 7) will be valid for the new date. If a refund is needed, they are available at your point of purchase. Please check back with us then. —- From The Avett Brothers: This evening, during the admission process at our show at Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn in Troutdale, Oregon, an individual passing through the metal detector was found to be carrying a gun. When confronted by the security guard and informed of the no-firearm policy of the venue, the individual stated that he was an out-of-state police officer and showed a badge. The security guard then asked the individual to wait for the manager so his entry could be confirmed. The individual disregarded her instructions and ventured immediately into the size-able audience. After an exhaustive search of the venue by the security staff of both the band and the venue, the individual was not located. Due to the obvious threat posed by someone in the audience with a firearm, regardless of his (unconfirmed) claim of being a member of law enforcement, we were obligated, for the safety of everyone present, to cancel the performance. It was unfortunate that such action had to be taken, but we have no regret in being in a position to make a decision which helps to keep our fans safe. We look forward to making this performance up at the earliest possible juncture. Once the details are sorted for this, we will get the word out immediately. Thank you for your understanding in this matter, and much love to you all for the continued support, love, and consideration… Sincerely, The Avett Brothers

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Fans on social media were thankful of the measure that the band and the venue took to ensure their safety. We are glad no one was injured.

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