Heavy storms and scorching temperatures have failed to deter rock bands from performing at an outdoor stadium in St. Louis, US, but a bombardment of pigeon droppings proved too much for the Kings of Leon.
The band was performing at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre and after three songs the infestation of birds in the arena’s rafters dropped their onslaught of faeces.
A statement from the band’s management company, Vector Management, said bassist Jared Followill seemed to be a particular target of the pigeons, whose droppings were a potential health hazard.
He was hit several times during the first two songs. On the third song, when he was hit on the cheek and some of it landed near his mouth, they couldn’t take it any longer.
The crowd grew restless after the band walked off, then an announcement was made that the show was over for safety reasons.
Health experts say pigeon droppings have been associated with three diseases: Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis and psittacosis. Histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis are fungal diseases with symptoms that can include fatigue and fever. Psittacosis is a rare infectious disease characterised by fever, rash, chills, headache and sometimes pneumonia.
Source: http://hosted.ap.org
