Most tickets to concerts in outdoor venues usually carry the warning that the show will go on "rain or shine." We learned this weekend that the warning does not extending pigeon droppings. Just ask Kings of Leon, who were forced off the stage Friday night three songs into their set at St. Louis' Verizon Amphitheater after being inundated by poop from pigeons living in the venue's rafters. The show's openers The Postelles and the Stills braved through their entire sets only to emerge from the stage covered in pigeon droppings. The Kings of Leon decided to try their luck and play their set but were forced to leave after an unhealthy encounter.
Drummer Nathan Followill told fans via Twitter "We had to bail, pigeons shitting in Jared's mouth and it was too unsanitary to continue. Don't take it out on Jared, it's the f**king venue's fault. You may enjoy being sh*t on but we don't. Sorry for all who traveled many miles."
According to Beijing Today, the band's management spokesman Andy Mendelsohn said, "Jared [Followill] was hit several times during the first two songs. On the third song, when he was hit in the cheek and some of it landed near his mouth, they couldn't deal any longer. It's not only disgusting it's a toxic health hazard. They really tried to hang in there."
Beijing Today also reports that the band's camps issued a statement which said in part, "The Kings Of Leon decided to carry on regardless. The band felt it would be unfair to the fans to cancel the show at that late moment."
"We couldn't believe what The Postelles and The Stills looked like after their sets. We didn't want to cancel the show, so we went for it. We tried to play. It was ridiculous."
Venue managers told the band's representatives earlier on Friday about "a significant pigeon infestation problem with summer shows over the years, but they were doing all they could to fix it," the statement said.
