By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Country music star Ella Langley’s Friday night performance in Oklahoma was canceled shortly before it was scheduled to start over what the singer called a “serious security threat.”
Police said they conducted security checks after a caller warned of harm but found no credible threat.
Langley, the singer of hit song “Choosin’ Texas,” had been scheduled to play at the 19,000-seat Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa. About two hours before the planned start time, she and the venue alerted fans via social media that the show was called off.
“Due to a serious security threat involving the safety of my fans, the venue staff, and my team, the incredibly difficult decision was made to cancel tonight’s show,” Langley said in a Facebook post. “This decision was made under the advisement of local authorities, the venue, and my security team.”
A statement from the venue, known as the BOK Center, said that “after careful consideration, we have determined the show cannot proceed.”
Tulsa Police Captain Richard Meulenberg, in a video posted on Facebook, said his department did not advise canceling the event. The show was cleared to go forward after a standard security sweep with bomb-sniffing dogs, he said. After that, a person called “saying that someone was going to do great harm” at the event with “shots fired and bombs.”
Police conducted a second security sweep, Meulenberg said, and “advised the group that was supposed to be performing tonight that we could not find a credible threat.”
“Everything is safe,” he added.
Langley, 27, is a rising star in country music. “Choosin’ Texas” made history last month after spending 23 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, breaking Mariah Carey’s longstanding record of 22 weeks.
“I know how much time, travel, money, and planning goes into coming to a show, and I can’t tell you how sorry I am,” Langley said in her statement. “This is not a decision that was made lightly. I was so looking forward to spending tonight with you, but your safety will always mean more to me than anything else. I refuse to put anyone in harm’s way.”
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by William Mallard)
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