Sabrina Carpenter fans in Portland were asked to go home before she hit the stage at the Keller Auditorium Monday due to a “credible security threat,” the promoter and police confirm to Rolling Stone.
AEG Presents, the show’s promoter, tells Rolling Stone that Carpenter’s scheduled show at Keller Auditorium was canceled “out of an abundance of caution” after a “credible threat” was made to a different venue in Portland, where Carpenter had originally been scheduled to perform.
“Employees with the Crystal Ballroom called after they received a phone call from an anonymous person claiming they were going to blow up the venue,” Lieutenant Nathan Sheppard of the Portland Police Bureau tells Rolling Stone.
Carpenter had previously announced a change in venue to make room for more attendees, police said. But despite the venue change, AEG Presents and Carpenter’s team decided to not move forward with the show for the safety of concertgoers.
“While the threat was not directed at Keller Auditorium specifically, Sabrina and event organizers agreed that out of an abundance of caution, the show be called off,” a rep from from AEG Presents tells Rolling Stone. “Steps were taken to ensure that the audience exited the venue calmly, quickly, and safely.”
Portland police said it conducted extra patrols around both venues due to the threat Monday night. “Nothing blew up,” Sheppard adds.
At the scheduled show, fans were able to attend Carpenter’s VIP soundcheck and watch Carpenter’s opener Spill Tab perform earlier in the night but were asked by a venue official to exit about an hour after Carpenter was scheduled to hit the stage.
After the venue official’s announcement, Carpenter shared a message to fans, saying the cancelation was “due to unforeseen circumstances,” apologized for the incident, and asked concertgoers to “return home safely.”
“I can’t tell you how much it breaks my heart,” she wrote. “This is the last thing I want to do.”
Fans who were asked to go home in Portland are being offered refunds, and Carpenter plans to perform in Portland on a rescheduled date, AEG Presents confirms to Rolling Stone.
Carpenter’s fans began to speculate about the reasoning for Monday’s show’s cancelation after the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, where she’s set to perform Tuesday, changed its security measures by implementing a clear bag policy.
Carpenter is currently on the road in support of her 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send. “Her tour will continue as scheduled,” AEG adds.
