Patti LaBelle concert evacuated at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater after bomb threat
A Christmas Concert of Patti LaBelle at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater ended abruptly and shockingly Saturday night, after a bomb threat forced the R&B legend to leave the stage mid-show and the nearly-capacity audience to flee.
“With regard to the bomb threat in the 100 block of W. Wisconsin, all patrons have been safely evacuated,” Milwaukee Police Capt. Warren E. Allen Jr. said in an email statement around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. “At this time, police are clearing the facility, and the investigation is fluid and ongoing.”
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Was there any bomb or explosive devices at the concert of Patti LaBelle?
At 1:13 a.m., an additional statement was issued. “The building was searched by K9 units. No explosive devices were discovered. There is no threat to the public at this time,” Allen wrote on Sunday.
The 78-year-old LaBelle was chatting with an audience member who was celebrating her 70th birthday and receiving a bouquet of flowers from another fan in the front row when two men, presumably her security personnel, walked up to her at the microphone.
What has happened at the concert of Patti Labelle?
“Wait,” LaBelle exclaimed as the two men escorted her off the stage.
Catherine Brunson, who attended Saturday’s show, told the Journal Sentinel that the evacuation occurred around 9:24 p.m., barely two songs into LaBelle’s performance. She estimated that the theater was nearly full. It has a capacity of 2,500 people.
Check the video footage of the moment of the Patti LaBelle is Rushed offstage after bomb threat.
“Someone got on a microphone and said we needed to evacuate the building because there was a bomb threat,” Brunson, who documented the evacuation on Facebook Live, explained.
“When we arrived, the block was taped off by police…. A lot of people were upset…. It’s scary.”
“It happened so fast,” Scott Pierce, who was also at the show on Saturday, told the Journal Sentinel. “Everyone very calmly exited the theater in disbelief, and I heard lots of comments about how sad it was that someone would pull such a pathetic stunt,” Pierce added. “It’s unfortunate that someone does this.”
As of early Sunday, none of LaBelle’s social media accounts had issued a statement about the evacuation. The Journal Sentinel reached out to LaBelle via Instagram but has yet to receive a response.
What has happened after evacuating the concert stage?
The show has been rescheduled, according to Riverside Theater operator the Pabst Theater Group.
“We are grateful for the efforts of the Milwaukee Police Department, as well as our customers and staff, in ensuring their safe and orderly exit,” the statement said. “We are rescheduling the show with the artist.”
