Campus Alert Archive
CU Boulder

Hail Pelts 50,000 Concert-Goers Off Field at Folsom Field -- Dead and Company's Night One Paused by Rocky Mountain Storm

COsevere stormadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

A severe summer thunderstorm brought lightning and sheets of hail to Folsom Field on July 5, 2019, forcing more than 50,000 Dead and Company concertgoers to evacuate to stadium shelter areas just after the band played their second song. Colorado Daily reported that fans were directed to Balch Fieldhouse on the west side and the East Concourse on the east side; the storm cleared in approximately 45 minutes and the show resumed.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Colorado Boulder
Public R1 · CO
~36,000 studentsCU Boulder Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPA System
Approximate reconstruction310 chars
Due to lightning in the area, the concert is being suspended immediately. All guests on the field and in the seating bowl must evacuate now. Guests on the west side of the stadium should proceed to Balch Fieldhouse. Guests on the east side should move to the East Concourse. Please do so in an orderly fashion.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The storm struck during Dead and Company's second song 'Cold Rain and Snow' -- an ironic song title given the hail that accompanied the lightning; within minutes, fans near the field had to climb bleachers while hail fell in sheets obscuring the view of the stage.
Balch Fieldhouse and the East Concourse are the two primary designated shelter locations for Folsom Field weather emergencies during non-football events; the venue holds approximately 50,000 for concerts.
ALL CLEARPA System
Approximate reconstruction218 chars
The lightning and storm have cleared. Guests may now return to their positions on the field and in the seating areas. Dead and Company will resume their performance shortly. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The storm cleared in approximately 45 minutes; Dead and Company resumed the show and, per fan accounts, played through without a set break to make up for the lost time.
The second Folsom Field show on July 6, 2019 went without incident; the July 5 storm was an isolated Rocky Mountain afternoon-to-evening thunderstorm cell.
Context

Background

Folsom Field, the home of the University of Colorado Buffaloes and a 50,000-seat stadium on the Boulder campus, is a premier outdoor concert venue that regularly hosts summer national touring acts. The Front Range of Colorado is known for intense afternoon and evening thunderstorms from July through August -- a pattern the university's event operations team is well-acquainted with. On July 5, 2019, Dead and Company were two songs into their evening show when lightning and hail struck simultaneously. Fans in the infield and seating bowl were directed to Balch Fieldhouse (west side) or the East Concourse (east side) as hail fell hard enough to obscure sightlines to the stage; fans near the field had to climb the bleachers while being pelted. The storm cleared in about 45 minutes and concertgoers were called back around 8:10 PM MDT. The band resumed and played without their usual set break to compensate for the delay. The University of Colorado's alert system maintains campus-wide emergency notification capability for non-athletic events at Folsom Field through the same infrastructure used for football games.
Analysis

Key Findings

More than 50,000 concert attendees were evacuated from Folsom Field's bowl and field during a lightning and hail storm roughly 45 minutes into the show
Designated shelter locations -- Balch Fieldhouse (west) and East Concourse (east) -- were used for a non-football event, demonstrating their multi-event utility
The storm cleared in approximately 45 minutes; Dead and Company resumed without a set break to make up lost time
Rocky Mountain Front Range afternoon thunderstorms pose recurring risk for Folsom Field's summer concert season; this is a well-known venue management challenge
Outcome
Concert resumed approximately 45 minutes after the evacuation began; the band played through the night to make up for the lost time.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Dead & Company concert at CU Boulder's Folsom Field back on as severe thunderstorm watch continues - Colorado Daily
    coloradodaily.com
  2. Source
    Dead and Company Shows in Boulder, Colorado - Catherine Sherman fan account
    catherinesherman.wordpress.com
  3. Official
    Latest Alerts - CU Boulder Alerts
    alerts.colorado.edu
Tags
severe-stormlightninghailconcertstadiumfolsom-fieldcu-bouldercoloradolarge-eventevacuation
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion