Event organizers canceled the Roots' scheduled SXSW set at Austin’s Fair Market venue Saturday night due to a reported bomb threat. Bud Light, the show's main sponsor, and SXSW confirmed the cancellation via Twitter while apologizing to fans for the inconvenience.
Due to a security concern we have made the hard decision to cancel tonight's event. Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority.
The Bud Light x The Roots SXSW Jam at Fair Market has been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. #SXSW https://t.co/iLkmAcroAh
Saturday’s canceled set was the latest news related to bombings in the area, as Austin was the site of three package explosions that occurred in a 10-day span beginning on March 2.
“The bombs killed a 39-year-old African-American man on March 2, killed a 17-year-old African-American male early Monday morning, and severely injured a 75-year-old Hispanic woman midday Monday,” CNN reported March 12. “A woman hurt in the Monday morning explosion had non-life threatening injuries, police said.”
Authorities told CNN they believed the explosions were related and possibly hate crimes.
The Austin Chronicle reported local police swept the area Saturday night in attempts to determine the legitimacy of the threat. Each of the victims in last week’s bombings found plain packages that weren’t delivered by USPS or any private delivery service. It is unclear if police found any such packaging at Fair Market on Saturday. Police have since arrested Trevor Weldon Ingram, 26, for issuing terroristic threats, according to the Austin Chronicle.
Both Deadline and the Chronicle report Questlove tweeted about the threat at approximately 8:30 p.m. local time.
“Welp. It’s 2018. Show cancelled. These are the times we now live in,” Questlove reportedly tweeted. His tweet has since been deleted.
