Last night's
Cornhusker Summer Music Games competition was rained out. The Blue Stars performed all of eight measures of their opening piece before the rain came down in buckets. Event organizers waited an hour before finally pulling the plug.
Oh, and did I mention there are no refunds on the $17-$27 tickets?
There are going to be some angry phone calls made today. Be glad you don't work in the UNL Band Office, the Lied Center Box Office, or wherever in the Athletic Department angry refund-seekers will try to call. I worked in the Band Office several years ago during a particular firestorm involving the Band's director. Not fun. This, I can only assume, will be much, much worse. Good luck Rose & Co.!
Being out sixty bucks certainly doesn't feel good, but I, for one, am not angry. How can I be? The purchase agreement says the tickets are non-refundable. And outdoor event cancellations happen all the time. It's a risk the ticket-buyer takes. And really, as dry as Lincoln has been this summer, whodathunk a storm would pick last night to come through?
Some will complain that the rain was subsiding and that the show could have gone on. Perhaps. But if I were in charge of one of the bands there's no way I would have put my group back on the field. There was too much lightning around, and there were signs of another line of storms to the west. Forget the performers, those uniforms and instruments are expensive!
Upon sending the crowd home an announcement was made that ticket holders would be able to purchase tickets next year at a discount. I suspect an overwhelming chunk of last night's crowd -- estimated by D.M.B. and me at 8,000 to 10,000 -- will say no way. Who can blame them? Families with children were out $100 or more. That's not a loss you take lightly.