Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson Shows Scrapped After Venue Crew Member Dies
A crew member's medical emergency and death led to the cancelation of Dustin Lynch and Chris Janson's sets at the Rib Round Up in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday (March 7).
The two performers were the last of five scheduled for Saturday's show. Radio station WIRK-FM promotes the festival, and a message shared on their social media pages first revealed that a medical emergency would force the cancelation of the remainder of the show. Fans were asked to leave promptly.
CBS affiliate WPTV in West Palm Beach adds that the crew member was a local Live Nation employee, not a member of Janson, Lynch or any of the other performer’s teams. Their sources echo what people are saying in the comments section of multiple Facebook posts, the man suffered a heart emergency. Out of respect to his family, the station decided to end the show.
The man was identified as Delmas O'Dell Hayes by his daughter via a Sunday morning Facebook post. He was a spotlight operator, per South Florida Country Music, and he died while in position to do his job. Emergency crews had to recover his body, which led to the show's delay and eventual cancellation.
"Because of the nature and location of the incident, we had to end the festival earlier than planned," a Monday morning message at the Rib Round Up Facebook page reads. Those in attendance have an opportunity to see either Brad Paisley or Rascal Flatts later in the year. The 2020 Rib Round Up was at the iThink Financial Ampitheatre.
Matt Stell, Carly Pearce and Michael Ray were the three performers who preceded Lynch and Janson, who both announced via social media that they could not play their sets.
"Prayers going up. Love y'all," Lynch writes.
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