Ella Langley canceled her sold-out Tulsa concert about two hours before showtime on Friday night after what she called a serious security threat. The 27-year-old singer said the decision was made because of concerns for the safety of her fans, the venue staff and her team.
The show was due to take place at the 19,000-seater BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the cancellation left thousands of ticket holders without the performance they had come to see. Langley apologized to fans on Instagram and said information on ticket refunds would be shared as soon as possible.
That explanation came after police were called to the venue over a phone threat that, officials said, mentioned great harm, shots fired and bombs. Officers checked the BOK Center several times before the concert was due to begin, and sniffer dogs were brought in for another sweep after the call. Even so, Richard Meulenberg said police could not find a credible threat.
The venue still moved to shut the show down. The BOK Center said the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved remained its absolute priority and, after careful consideration, the concert could not go ahead. It also said it understood the disappointment felt by fans who had planned to attend.
Langley did not offer more detail about what prompted the threat, leaving that part of the night unanswered even as the cancellation was final. For now, the main thing fans are waiting on is the refund process, which she said would be explained as soon as possible.
In September, Choosin' Texas overtook All I Want for Christmas Is You to become the longest-running number one single in US chart history, a run that helped Langley sweep the Academy of Country Music Awards in May. Friday's cancellation cut short a momentum-filled stretch for the singer, but it also showed how quickly a live event can be stopped when safety questions move to the front of the line.
