The pop star Katy Perry was forced to cancel a concert at the Belgian music festival Werchter Boutique on Saturday just hours before she was scheduled to take the stage.
Perry Cancels Concert At Last Minute
Perry, 41, had been set to perform after the rapper Pitbull’s set at the festival. Hours before showtime, however, Perry took to Instagram to say that bad weather had left her with “no choice” but to cancel her show.
“Sadly my set @WerchterBoutique tonight can’t happen due to a government mandated cancellation because of the incoming inclement weather and crowd safety concerns,” Perry wrote.
“I was backstage at the show in the middle of hair and makeup when this news was delivered. And they gave me no choice. I am just as unhappy as you are,” she continued. “Unfortunately this is beyond my control, but the safety of all 55,000 of you always comes first and foremost.”
Perry went on to apologize to her fans for the cancellation.
“I am sorry I can’t change the weather. And even sorrier that all of us can’t be together tonight,” she stated. “I was looking forward to being back after 17 years, I was even gonna wear the same outfit from that 2009 show again.”
Perry concluded by saying, “I love you all, and please get home safe.”
Perry wrote this alongside a photo of herself puffing on a cigarette as she sat next to the outfit that she seemingly planned to wear at her canceled show. Check out her full post for yourself below.
Perry Doubles Down
Perry also made a point of including the official announcement, which showed that the festival would end early at 9pm. She had been scheduled to take the stage an hour later than that.
Perry canceled her show as “severe thunderstorms” were set to hit the area. The decision was reportedly made to “ensure that the exit of visitors proceeds in a safe and orderly manner, allowing everyone to return home calmly. The safety and health of everyone present is always our top priority.”
Meanwhile, Perry has a busy summer ahead of her. Indeed, she is scheduled to perform at a number of other international music festivals over the coming months. She is next set to perform at Depot Live in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, June 30. That show is set to take place at Cardiff Castle.
Perry Drops Scandalous New Music Video
This also comes days after Perry dropped the music video for her new track “Watch It Burn” on Thursday. The song appears to be about Perry’s breakup with the Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom. They split last year after nine years of dating. The former couple are parents to a 5 year-old daughter named Daisy.
Lyrics to the song include: “Tonight’s the night, I light a match/ Throw it hard behind my back/Gonna try to forgive and forget/ Light a cigarette, and watch it burn.”
At one point in the music video, magazines at a stand could be seen catching on fire. Fans immediately noticed that one of the covers looked extremely similar to a Details magazine interview Bloom previously did.
The model’s name on the magazine cover in the video was Jensen Turner. Some fans believe that this was a possible reference to Bloom’s character Will Turner in the iconic Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise.
Check out that portion of the music video for yourself below.
Perry ‘Wrestling’ With ‘Darkness’
While talking about this song on the Unfamous podcast earlier this month, Perry admitted that she is “wrestling with my darkness, but last year was pretty tough.”‘
“I have not given myself permission to be angry my whole life over things where I should be [expletive] angry about,” she continued. “What I’ve done is I pushed it down, but I should be [expletive] angry. I’m allowed to be angry for a [expletive] moment.”
Perry went on to say that she has “love in my life now. That’s transformed me.” This was seemingly a reference to her relationship with the former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who she has been dating for nearly a year.
In the wake of the backlash over her trip to space in April of 2025, Perry’s career has been in a bit of a lull. That’s why she may be more eager than ever to win back her fans, and she’s likely in panic mode over having to cancel a show at the last minute.
Only time will tell how this all works out for Perry.