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B-52s, Joan Jett concerts cancelled as tornado strikes French festival

The Retro C Trop Music Festival cancelled its final day on Sunday following a last minute evacuation on Saturday night.

The event in Tilloloy, in northern France, was pulled mere minutes before a violent storm hit the area.

"It is with great regret that we are forced to cancel the final day of the 2026 edition of the festival, scheduled for Sunday, 28 June, due to a tornado that occurred late last night and destroyed all public reception facilities," the organisers announced on Facebook.

"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."

B52s frontman Fred Schneider described the situation at the festival as "a total disaster".

"The promoter knew the dangerous storm that was brewing. First, there was lightning, but the promoter still had the crew set up the stage and told the band to get ready to perform," he shared on Facebook.

"Then it was like a whirlwind, hurricane force, and heavy rain. Most of our crew was caught and had to duck under where they could for shelter. The festival was evacuated. We could not even leave because it was too dangerous to drive.

"Scaffolding even fell from the stage and destroyed our equipment. I still don't know the total assessment of the damage."

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Europe, and more artists had been booked to perform on Sunday.

Katy Perry's headlining appearance at Belgium's Werchter Boutique festival on Saturday was also cancelled due to "inclement weather and crowd safety concerns".

Photo: Cover Media
Source: Cover Media
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