U2 were forced to pull their show last night in Stockholm’s The Globen due to a “security breach.”
Fans were evacuated from the sold-out venue shortly after 8pm with a local newspaper, Aftonbladet, reporting that police were looking for an armed man who’d bluffed his way into the venue saying he was an off-duty officer.
“The U2 concert was supposed to start at 8.15 pm,” the paper says. “Instead chaos erupted at 8.50 when the crowd that had already got inside the venue and were sitting in the seated sections were asked to leave. The official story is that the organiser is having technical difficulties with the ticket system. That is the same word that has been spread to crowds waiting to get inside.
"But according to sources there's a threat aimed at Stockholm Globe Arena and that the police is looking for a specific individual. Around 10.30pm the concert was cancelled. Sources tell Nöjesbladet that police was called to Stockholm Globe Arena after organisers let a man armed with a gun inside the venue. The man claimed to be a police officer and stated that he ‘forgot to leave the gun at work’ – and was then let inside.”
It’s understood that a man has subsequently been arrested by Stockholm police.
The band quickly released an online statement saying that, “Due to a security breach, Stockholm's The Globen evacuated the audience from the building this evening.
“As the breach has not been resolved quickly and as audience safety is paramount, the police have advised The Globen and Live Nation that they have no option but to postpone tonight's show, to a rescheduled date of Tuesday 22nd September. All tickets from Sunday 20th September are valid for Tuesday 22nd September.
“The organisers apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank the audience for their understanding. Their safety is the priority."
Although in Swedish, Aftonbladet's video report will give you a flavour of the scene around The Globen. The second clip comes courtesy of the excellent u2gigs.com.