Tame Impala forced to cut short their US festival gig due to poor weather

Tame Impala undoubtedly have a few disappointed fans right now, with the group having been forced offstage in the US due to poor weather conditions.

On Friday, the three-day Desert Daze festival kicked off in California, with a lineup that would make rock lovers all over the world drool with excitement. Headlined by Tame Impala, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and My Bloody Valentine, the Aussie representation was very strong, but for almost everyone in attendance, the first night turned into a bit of a bust.

As Stereogum reports, Tame Impala’s Friday night headlining set was cut down to just three songs, with festival organisers telling the audience to seek shelter from the impending thunderstorm.

Organisers had stated that they planned for Tame Impala’s set to resume, but after two hours of reassuring fans, it became evident that the group would not be hitting the stage again.

Due to safety concerns regarding dangerous weather, we are asking all guests to immediately exit the Desert Daze grounds and return to their cars and seek shelter. We ask that you stay in your cars and remain calm. We intend to continue on, but first need to consult with police
— Desert Daze (@desertdaze) October 13, 2018

Understandably, fans reacted rather poorly to this information, with many noting that the festival had been poorly run from the start.

One user on Reddit gave a rundown of their Friday experience, calling Desert Daze “a complete and utter shit show”, and noting how they spent hours waiting in line to get in, only to be told the show was cancelled after finally arriving.

“The staff tells us to seek shelter so we say we need to access a campsite and finally tells where the campsite entrance is,” they explained. “The guard tells us to wait a little while until everything dies down. We wait about an hour or so before we decide to drive home in the pouring rain.”

“There are people out there with even worst experiences right now, so my condolences to you guys.”

definitely saw only 4 tame impala songs before desert daze was cancelled for the night. great performance but this whole festival was kinda a disaster from the start
— tyler ✌ (@tylerfromdebate) October 13, 2018

https://twitter.com/broseph_yoseph/status/1051078586336083971

😭 @tameimpala sounded incredible at @desert_daze… until a man came onstage after the third song and said everyone had to go back to their tents and cars because of a lightning storm pic.twitter.com/vfC2bDXqHh
— 𝖘𝖈𝖔𝖙𝖙𝖌𝖚𝖒 (@scottgum) October 13, 2018

While Tame Impala were unable to make up for their cancelled performance for fans due to other touring commitments, the remaining two days for Desert Daze appear to be going ahead as planned, with organisers attempting to make up for the debacle that was day one thanks to free parking and other perks.

Of course, Tame Impala’s aborted set might just conjure up images of the Dirty Three’s infamous Meredith Music Festival set from 2004, which was performed against the backdrop of a mighty thunderstorm. Who knows, maybe if Tame Impala had been allowed to continue it might have ended up being one of their best shows of all time?