YORK, UK (CelebrityAccess) — Sir Tom Jones apologized to fans after he was forced to cancel a planned concert on Friday at York Racecourse at the last minute in the face of dangerous weather.
The Welsh singer took social media to express his dismay, writing: “So disappointed about York last night and so sorry for you all. But lightening (sic) is unpredictable, dangerous and causes havoc so better safe than talking about something tragic today. Hopefully see you soon, we are working on it.”
A separate statement issued by the racetrack revealed that the weather interfered with Jones’s travel plans.
“The decision was taken after it proved impossible to get Sir Tom to the racecourse given the atrocious weather conditions, with thunder and lightning storms over much of the country during Friday,” the statement said.
“As anyone at the track on Friday evening will know, the weather closed in, with a series of storms hitting the course. More significantly similar storms blocked the route of both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft between his London home and Yorkshire,” the statement added.
Since the cancellation, the racecourse has been on the defensive about the late notification of the cancellation of the show, with fans complaining via social media that they were waiting in the rain for a no-show.
Sorry but taking the mick 15minutes before he’s due to go on when we’re all stood in the pouring rain, the whole country knew this weather was forecast, why couldn’t he drive up, and a 50% refund is a total disgrace
— Claire round (@Claireround9) July 27, 2018
Following the criticism from damp fans, the race course released a subsequent statement that clarified their refund policy and included a timeline of the events leading up to to the show being canceled. According to track officials, they learned that Jones was experiencing issues traveling at approximately 7:15 p.m. and informed the audience about an hour later.
The track offered fans a 50% refund, noting that racing for the day had already concluded.