B-52s French Festival Set Canceled Just Moments Before Violent Storm Forces Evacuation: ‘Last Night Was a Total Disaster’

The B-52s are speaking up about a harrowing situation that forced them to cancel their set at the Retro C Trop Music Festival in Tilloloy, France on Saturday (June 27) when a huge storm descended on the area. “We are so sorry to everyone who came out to Château de Tilloloy yesterday. The storm made it impossible to continue, and the safety of our fans and everyone on site had to come first,” they wrote in an Instagram post that featured a photo of the stage with a giant bolt of lightning hovering ominously over the proceedings.

“A huge thank you to our touring crew for their work and care in keeping everyone as safe as possible throughout an incredibly dangerous situation,” the post continued.

In a translated Facebook post announcing the cancellation of Sunday’s (June 28) planned final day of the festival’s 10th anniversary edition, organizers wrote, “It is with great regret that we are forced to cancel the final day of the 2026 edition of the festival, scheduled for Sunday, June 28, due to a tornado that occurred late last night and destroyed all public reception facilities. The safety of the public, artists, teams and all stakeholders remains our top priority. Given the exceptional weather conditions and their consequences on the site, this decision has been imposed as the sole responsible.”

Sunday’s lineup was slated to feature sets from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Europe, Ultra Vomit, New Model Army and Fools Garden.

The statement did not address what singer Fred Schneider described in a Facebook post as a frightening scene backstage during the storm. “Last night was a total disaster. The promoter knew the dangerous storm that was brewing and on its way to The C Trop Music Festival in Tilloloy, France,” he wrote. “First, there was lightning, but the promoter still had the crew set up the stage and told the band to get ready to perform. Luckily, our tour manager, said to hold back 10 minutes because it’s not safe and we have to see what is going on with the storm. Then it was like a world wind hurricane force and heavy rain.”

Schneider said most of the band’s crew were caught in the storm and were forced to duck for cover anywhere they could as the festival was evacuated, with the band unable to leave the site due to what he said were dangerous driving conditions. He also reported that the power went out several times backstage and that the band’s equipment was damaged in the storm.

“We felt terrible for the fans that have waited in the heat all day for us to perform. And then get very little warning to no warning from the promoter that it wasn’t safe to stay out and make our way to the stage, there was lightning striking the band before our set,” Schneider continued. “Scaffolding even fell from the stage and destroyed our equipment. Keyboards, mic stands, laptops, sound equipment. All destroyed.”

He included several pictures of what he described as the violent aftermath of the storm, depicting the band’s equipment and amps smashed in piles on the stage. The veteran singer ended his post with a bizarre scene in which he described being huddled in the dark backstage as representatives of the event’s promoter walked around with flashlights asking the group to sign posters. “Well, I won’t tell you what strong expletives words were used,” he wrote. “Our sound man Frank feared for his life. It was that dangerous. We were worried about the crew the entire time. No one was hurt thank goddess.”

At press time a spokesperson for the festival had not returned Billboard‘s request for additional comment on the incident or Schneider’s claims.

The storm came as France is just beginning to emerge from a week of deadly high temperatures, with the smothering heatwave reportedly resulting in more than 1,000 excess deaths as the extreme heat broke records. The Europe-based World Weather Attribution group said in a new study that the norm-shattering heat and humidity in Europe over the past week would not have been possible without climate change.