Country star Ella Langley canceled her Tulsa, Oklahoma show on the Dandelion Tour hours before showtime Thursday night after a caller threatened to cause “great harm” to people at the event. The cancellation hit BOK Center fans hard, but Langley made clear the call wasn’t a close one.
“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 wrote on her Instagram Story. She added that the decision came “under the advisement of local authorities, the venue, and my security team.” She also made sure fans knew she felt every bit of it: “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.
Tulsa PD Captain Richard G. Meulenberg IV explained that a threat call came in warning someone intended to cause “great harm” at the event, which could include gunshots or an explosion. Officers had already done a standard pre-sweep with bomb-sniffing dogs, then came back for a second full sweep of the entire BOK Center. According to reporting on the Ella Langley Tulsa cancellation, Meulenberg told the public that “we could not find a credible threat here at the BOK Center.” So the arena was clean. The show still didn’t go on.
More on Ella Langley Tulsa cancellation can be found in the original report from Deadline.
Meulenberg noted it was Langley’s team, not Tulsa PD, who made the final call to cancel. Which, honestly, is fair. When someone phones in a bomb threat, “let’s just see what happens” is not a great event strategy.
BOK Center backed up the decision on social media, saying the safety of everyone involved was the “absolute priority” and promising details on ticket refunds “as soon as possible.” Cold comfort for anyone who drove hours to Tulsa for the night, but the right move.
Langley’s Dandelion Tour is supporting her sophomore studio album, and the timing of this mess couldn’t be more ironic. Her lead single “Choosin’ Texas” just became the longest-running No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, meaning she is at the absolute peak of her career right now. The tour is scheduled to pick back up Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, assuming the world cooperates.
Langley closed her statement with a simple line that summed it up: “I refuse to put anyone in harm’s way.” Hard to argue with that. The fans who missed the show deserve a refund and an apology, both of which appear to be coming. Drop your thoughts in the comments or share this on social media, because this story is worth talking about.
