The B-52‘s set at Frances’s Retro C Trop music festival was cancelled just minutes before a violent storm hit the area.
- READ MORE: DEVO and The B-52s on their joint tour and inspiring Nirvana: “Both bands are totally unique”
“We are so sorry to everyone who came out to Chateau de Tilloloy yesterday,” the band shared in a Facebook post after their slot on Saturday night (June 27) got cancelled. “The storm made it impossible to continue, and the safety of our fans and everyone on site had to come first,” they continued.
“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. We hope everyone got home safely.”
The festival, which described the storm as a tornado, later announced that they would be cancelling its final day on Sunday following the evacuation from the night prior.
“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,” festival organisers announced on Facebook, citing “the exceptional weather conditions and their consequences on the site”.
B-52’s frontman Fred Schneider detailed the effect the chaotic weather had on the day in a lengthy post on his personal Facebook account, describing it as a “total disaster”.
“The promoter knew the dangerous storm that was brewing and on its way to The C Trop Music Festival,” he wrote, praising their tour manager Alice Martin for advising they “hold back 10 minutes” before performing.
“First, there was lightning, but the promoter still had the crew set up the stage and told the band to get ready to perform,” Schneider wrote. “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. Most of our crew was caught and had to duck under where they could for shelter,” he continued.
“The festival was evacuated. We could not even leave because it was too dangerous to drive. The power went out several times backstage.”
He added: “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.”
“And then, while we’re in the dark, and the people working for the promoter were walking around with flashlights asking us to sign posters and well I won’t tell you what strong expletives words were used.
“Our tour manager, Alice Martin handled everything in an incredibly great manner. We could’ve been stuck on stage if we didn’t hold for those 10 minutes. Our sound man Frank feared for his life. It was that dangerous. We were worried about the crew the entire time.”
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Europe, and more artists had been booked to perform on Sunday at the festival in northern France. The scrapped last day of the festival comes at a time when France, alongside several other European countries, are experiencing record temperatures.
Elsewhere, after bringing their co-headline tour to the UK earlier this month, Devo and The B-52s spoke to NME about their shared history as new wave oddballs, as well as how AI might inform the next wave of boundary-breaking bands.
On the “learning curve period” we’re currently in with AI, DEVO’s Mark Mothersbaugh. said: “I have two kids. When I adopted them 23 years ago, I bought Encyclopaedia Britannica so they could look up information like I did when I was a kid. But they never looked at them. They’ve got this incredible device in their hands and have information with them constantly.
“That’s why so many young kids know our bands because they’ll go, ‘Nirvana is my favourite band. Who influenced them?’, and then find out it’s The B-52s and DEVO.”