The Roots were forced to cancel their South by Southwest “Roots and Friends” show Saturday night after a bomb threat was reported.
“The Bud Light x The Roots SXSW Jam at Fair Market has been canceled,” organizers wrote on the festival’s Twitter page. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.”
A representative for Austin Police Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment. A rep for South by Southwest referred Rolling Stone to Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of concert sponsor Bud Light.
“Due to a security concern, we have made the difficult decision to cancel tonight’s Bud Light x The Roots SXSW Jam,” a rep for Anheuser-Busch tells Rolling Stone in a statement. “After working proactively with SXSW, the Austin Police Department, and other authorities, Bud Light believes this is the best course of action to ensure the safety of our guests, staff and artists, and appreciate your understanding. We are truly sorry to have to cancel the event, but we felt it was necessary to take all safety precautions.” Rolling Stone has confirmed that the “security concern” was a bomb threat, though no further details were available.
The third annual show was also set to feature Ludacris, Jessie Reyez, Dermot Kennedy and Tank and the Bangas. Per the event’s website, the show would have “transform[ed] Fair Market into its iconic Dive Bar aesthetic for badge-holders to crack a few cold ones with friends. For the 3rd year in a row, the brand is teaming up with The Legendary Roots Crew and some of their friends for a special SXSW jam session on Saturday, March 17th. The Showcase will feature the Grammy Award-winning band along with a number of cross-genre artists and surprise special guests.”
