Musical performance amidst… thunder and lightning.

On the evening of July 19th, the Superfest 2025 - Summer Concert, scheduled to take place at Sun Carnival Square (Ha Long, Quang Ninh), had to be canceled due to the impact of Typhoon No. 3 (Typhoon Wipha).

Images from the scene on social media show a section of scaffolding collapsing onto the stage, and the LED screen severely damaged. This incident is regrettable, as it marked the first time 20 talented and beautiful artists from the two shows "Brothers Overcoming a Thousand Thorns" and "Beautiful Women Riding the Wind" had come together.

Images of the scaffolding system on the left side of the Superfest 2025 stage collapsing have been circulating on social media.

PHOTO: ARCHIVE

Recently, weather conditions have also affected many outdoor music shows. The K-Star Spark concert in Hanoi , featuring two Korean stars, G-Dragon and CL (from the group 2NE1), took place amidst torrential rain. At the "6 Brothers Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" concert on June 15th in Hung Yen , lightning strikes during the artists' performances were also captured on camera. The show was interrupted several times due to power outages, and the artists even had to sing using... portable loudspeakers.

Although storms and heavy rain are considered unforeseen circumstances, ensuring the rights of the audience is crucial in the event of a cancellation. There have been numerous instances in the past where events were canceled at the last minute, resulting in audience members receiving no compensation due to the policy of no refunds for any reason.

However, some organizers have made efforts to mitigate the consequences. In 2024, when the "Dreamy Cities" series of events was abruptly canceled due to storms, the organizers tried to hold another show and offered a 40% discount on tickets for returning audience members who had purchased tickets through the official distribution system. The Superfest 2025 organizers also stated that for unactivated tickets, audience members could attend a later event, although they did not specify the exact time and location. Even so, many audience members were not satisfied because they were unsure if they would be able to attend at that time.

Lightning (left corner) appears in the 6th concert of "Brothers Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles".

PHOTO: BTC

From this, it can be seen that only when the organizers control the risks can they consider the interests of the audience. A solution that has been applied worldwide for a long time is that large events purchase event insurance packages so that in case of damage, the organizers can minimize losses, thereby ensuring financial security and reputation by compensating the audience. These usually include event cancellation insurance, public liability insurance, professional liability insurance, workers' compensation insurance, etc.

However, according to event organizers, this approach is still not widely known or applied in Vietnam. Therefore, further research and collaboration from various stakeholders are needed to put this into practice, thereby creating a precedent and contributing to the professionalization of outdoor music event organization, a format that has recently become very popular.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bieu-dien-am-nhac-giua-sam-set-185250806212701073.htm