The final edition of the touring Sonisphere festival was engulfed in chaos over the weekend after a freak storm raged across the arena in Finland.
Thunder and wind forced the closure of the second stage and damaged so much of Motley Crue's gear they weren't able to play. Two people were seriously injured and around 40 others needed medical attention.
The storm caused a two-hour delay to proceedings, but officials in the city of Pori allowed the festival to overrun so
Iron Maiden could complete their headline set.
Series producer Stuart Galbraith says: "Strong gusts of wind damaged the stages and knocked down tents and fences at about 4pm.
"The second stage was damaged beyond repair, and to guarantee the safety of audience, artists and crew the authorities closed it.
"Motley Crue had to be cancelled. Iggy Pop did play, performing an acoustic set on the main stage while the Sonisphere crew worked hard to dry everything out and make repairs.
"Having borrowed kit from Slayer, Alice Cooper performed a full set and Iron Maiden also performed a full set. The police and city authorities allowed Maiden to finish later than planned."
Crue bassist Nikki Sixx commented: "Our stage and gear were just destroyed. We couldn't play – we're so sorry." The band have pledged to make it up to fans by returning next year.
Sonisphere held 11 events across Europe over the summer in its second year, including a three-day event at Knebworth Park on July 30 - August 1 starring Maiden, Rammstein and Cooper. Over one million tickets were sold in total.
Thanks for the report to RockRadio.
