Fans of 1970s rockers April Wine were disappointed Saturday evening when the band cancelled their performance due to high winds.
With winds gusting to 40 km/h, the group said it was too dangerous to perform, and local band Toe Jam Tequila took their place.
“We would like to take this time to sincerely apologize about the unfortunate events of this evening,” read a post on the Valley East Days Facebook page. “Due to high winds and safety concerns, April Wine made the decision not perform for Valley East Days Rock Night as scheduled.
“We would like to extend a huge thank you and our gratitude to Toe Jam Tequila, who took the stage after our announcement and helped end the night in a positive note.”
On his Facebook page, Myles Goodwyn, April Wine's lead singer, said the band hoped to come back some day and play.
“On behalf of my fellow band members and myself, we are disappointed that the high winds prevented us from performing last night,” Goodwyn wrote. “We were backstage for about three hours waiting to see if the winds would decrease, but they didn't and we had to cancel. It simply wasn't safe to perform.
“April Wine has been coming to Sudbury for over four decades and something like this has never happened before. I'd like to thank all the volunteers, organizers and fans for their understanding and we hope that we get the opportunity to return one day and get to play for everyone. Be well.”
While some fans said they understood why the band cancelled – “Better safe than sorry,” one wrote on the festival's Facebook page – others wondered why it was safe enough for Toe Jam Tequila, but not April Wine.
“Not good enough Myles,” one fan wrote under Goodwyn's explanation. “You could have at least faced the crowd and played one song, then left. What a huge disappointment. Maybe Sudbury didn't mean much to you, but April Wine mattered to many Sudburians!!”
For their part, festival organizers said the volunteers who put together the annual event work hours and hours to make it a success, and asked for continued community support.
“Valley East Days is the result of many hours of planning and execution by our volunteer committee board, (which is) composed of several local business owners and operators, and the support of both local businesses and you, the members of our community,” they wrote. “We want to thank you for the continued support you’ve shown us over the last 41 years.”
