Reading & Leeds Festival Apologizes for Shortening Lana Del Rey’s Performance

Lana Del Rey’s microphone was unexpectedly turned off during her Saturday performance at the 2024 Reading & Leeds Festival, abruptly cutting her set short on August 24.

As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Del Rey was headlining Reading at Richfield Avenue when fireworks began toward the end of her set, and the sound went off before she finished performing. Del Rey spent the last five minutes of her stage time watching the fireworks display.

Fan reports on social media indicate the early ending came at the start of “Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – But I Have It,” the closing track of her 2019 album Norman F—ing Rockwell.

The U.K. festival posted a short statement via an Instagram Story on Sunday to address the tech issue from the night before. The statement said, “Due to an error by the Reading production team, we accidentally cut Lana Del Rey’s incredible set short by 5 mins, we apologize unreservedly to Lana and her fans.”

Del Rey performed at the Leeds portion of the fest at Bramham Park on Sunday night. The festival appearance marks the end of the singer’s tour in support of 2023’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.

Next up should be her new album Lasso, which she recently spoke of in Vogue: “All my albums are somewhat rooted in Americana, unless it’s an album like Honeymoon which has a jazz flair, so I don’t think it will be a heavy departure … If anything, it will just be a little lighter lyrically, and more pointed in a classic country, American, or Southern Gothic production — which again, so many of my songs already are.”

See Lana take in Saturday night’s fireworks show in a fan-captured clip below. Plus, enjoy her Reading performance of “Summertime Sadness,” filmed by BBC Music.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Vogue