Just minutes into their first song, "Sky Is the Limit," at the Gramercy Theatre in New York Wednesday night, Rebelution were told to stop after a fire alarm went off. They left the stage for the next 45 minutes until the crowd was told the show had been canceled.
"The fire alarm tripped and we can't find where it is," one staffer told CelebStoner. "The Fire Department told us to shut down the show." He said this had never happened before at the E. 23 St. venue. The theater was not noticeably smoked out before the alarm sounded.
In addition to periodic alarm squeals, white lights flashed through the delay. There was no smoke or fire smell. The crowd kept busy chanting "Let's Go Rangers!" and "USA, USA!" But each time the alarm sounded again, there was was a collective moan. Before long, a brief announcement on the loudspeaker informed ticket holders that the show would not go on.
FDNY personnel were not visible inside the theater during the delay. Trucks with flashing lights parked outside greeted the slightly disoriented patrons. How often is a concert canceled moments after it had just begun? It was a first for this writer.
There was no smoking of any kind backstage after the show.
Rebelution will make up the show on June 16. "Malfunctioning alarm systems cannot hold us down," they declared on their webiste. "If you cannot make it, full refunds are available at your point of purchase."
A reggae outfit from Isla Vista, California, Rebelution are currently touring on behalf of their new album, Count Me In. Their next stop is tonight in Boston at House of Blues.
