Reneé Rapp’s Reading 2024 main stage set today (August 25) was cut short after it was plagued by technical difficulties and water falling on her.
The star was making her debut appearance at the festival following her Leeds performance on Friday (August 23) being cancelled due to the extreme weather.
Rapp’s Reading set was then immediately troubled, with the singer’s microphone not working as she came on stage. She left the stage while the problem was fixed, with the crowd chanting her name as they waited. “Good false start!” she laughed after returning and kicking off the performance with ‘Talk Too Much’ and ‘Poison Poison’.
During the third song ‘Bruises’, water that had gathered at the top of the stage during yesterday’s rain was blown down onto the stage by strong winds. Rapp and her band’s equipment and instruments were soaked in the sudden downpour, forcing her to leave the stage again. “Oh, you bitches in the UK!” she exclaimed as she walked off.
“Somebody better call me a good fucking sport,” Rapp said as she returned once more. “Guys, I really, really, really wanna give you a good show. We are drenched. Some of our equipment is fucked, so thank you so much, that was really fucking helpful. But we really want to give you a good show.
“So, if it’s OK, we’re gonna restart with ‘Not My Fault’, and if I slip and fall, it’s not my insurance. I’m not paying for that shit.”
As promised, Rapp delivered a version of her Megan Thee Stallion collaboration, ‘Not My Fault’, but was soon caught in another downpour. “Nope, not today, not today,” she said. “How are you guys? Personally, I feel amazing.
“All of our equipment is definitely in good condition,” she continued sarcastically, before putting on a British accent. “I need to pull somebody to the side for a quick chat. I need to have a chat about this. It’s fucking ridiculous.”
Reneé durante Not My Fault hoy en el festival Reading, mientras seguía cayendo agua en el escenario. 😭
pic.twitter.com/RPg18EmOdx— Reneé Rapp Argentina (@ReneeRappArg) August 25, 2024
Minutes after Rapp walked off, the stage crew began taking her band’s gear off stage and replacing it that of follow-up band Pendulum. A sign posted on the big screens read: “We need to stop the show for a few minutes and hope to restart shortly. Thank you for your patience.”
“Girl what the fuck,” Rapp wrote in an Instagram story shared from backstage. At the time of writing, she has yet to comment further on the cancellation.
Lana Del Rey also suffered technical difficulties at Reading as she headlined the main stage last night (August 24). The star’s set was cut early due to a production error, which the festival “apologise[d] unreservedly” for.
Meanwhile, in Leeds, Storm Lilian brought “extreme weather” conditions to the festival site, forcing the cancellation of multiple sets on the first day of the event. The BBC Radio 1 and Aux stages were deemed too unsafe to be used at all this weekend by the festival’s health and safety team.
Some artists whose sets were affected by the stage closures, including Jorja Smith and Ashnikko, were added back to the line-up later and given slots on different stages.
Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more from Reading and Leeds 2024.
