I know, I know. Last week it was a lightning storm in Guam and the Louder Than Life evacuation, and here I am talking about the weather again. I promise I didn't plan it this way. That said, I’m having a tough time watching all these posts online and then not talking about it with you in my blog. For outdoor shows specifically in the northeast (that doesn’t include winter ‘snowmageddons’), I can't remember a single storm taking a bigger bite out of one weekend of live entertainment than the nor'easter that parked itself over the East Coast. By last Friday, more than 31 million people were under coastal flood alerts, and every promoter and agent was on the phone doing the math nobody in our business ever wants to do.
Start in Ocean City, Maryland. Oceans Calling had Dave Matthews Band, Twenty One Pilots, Mumford & Sons, and Gwen Stefani on a beach and boardwalk that holds up to 55,000 people a day. I thought a few times about going to this one since I had a weekend off. I loved what they put on the schedule so it was tempting. Then last Thursday, beach erosion took Friday off the books. On Friday, tides, flooding and high winds made it unsafe to keep building the site, and the whole festival was gone. It's the second time weather has wiped out Oceans Calling entirely (Hurricane Ian did it in 2022). The impact is greater than a show, as it normally is for smaller cities. The Baltimore Banner reported that Oceans Calling and its sister festival Country Calling generated $376.3 million for Ocean City's economy last year, in a town of about 7,000 full-time residents.
Then the storm rolled north. Ed Sheeran lost both nights at Gillette Stadium, a painful capper to a tour that was already having a rough month. AC/DC had their MetLife Stadium show pulled just hours before the gates were supposed to open. In New York City, it was a clean sweep. The Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, with Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Lenny Kravitz on the bill, cancelled for the first time in 14 years. All Things Go lost all three days at Forest Hills Stadium, including Brandi Carlile, Carly Rae Jepsen and MUNA, and the brand-new CBGB Festival in Brooklyn called it off too, taking Interpol and a Friday launch show from The Prodigy down with it (Consequence has the full rundown).
At the Jersey Shore, All Time Low lost their Stone Pony Summer Stage date on Friday. I even saw someone post that the Pony’s outdoor canopy for summer events got trashed in the wind. It’s one of my ‘hometown’ spots growing up, so I hope they get that fixed to fulfill the big dates still on their books this fall.
And that's just the headliners. Down the list you had the Brooklyn street fairs pushed to October, South Street Fall Fest in Philly and a string of Jersey Shore festivals cancelled, WaterFire in Providence dark for the night, harvest festivals across Connecticut called off, and the Red Sox season finale moved from Fenway to Tampa, the first time that's ever happened. I thought I was going nuts when I saw that on ESPN updates. Every space mentioned has a stage, a sound company, vendors, staff, and a budget behind it. When you add up a weekend like this one, the refunds, lost wages and sunk costs get very big, very fast, and there's a lot of insurance paperwork that's going to be crossing desks for months. I’ll dive into the math and nuances around insurance down below.
AC/DC was going to be the story of the week regardless of the weather. The Power Up Tour pulls into Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia tomorrow while I’m heading in for NRPA (no, I didn’t get a ticket as I’m slugging it out at a conference; though it’s a show I’d like to see). It’s their first Philly show in a decade, and now the MetLife makeup on October 2 turns into a proper finale after two and a half years on the road.
Some good news came out of the Grand Ole Opry this week too. On Tuesday, September 22, at a show honoring the late Charley Pride, Pam Tillis and Pride's widow Rozene surprised Neal McCoy with an invitation to join the Opry, 33 years after his first No. 1. McCoy told the crowd he used to mow yards during the week and open for Pride on weekends. That's the kind of story I love, because it's a reminder that the opening slot is where careers start. Neal is a pro's pro, and it was a pleasure to have him on The District Association's calendar with us back on June 4, with another date already on the books for next year. One day I’ll tell you the full story about Neal during Covid on our Friday Night Live online show. Performing live, on a tractor or some kind of farm car, trying to figure out how to connect his phone with video to the internet. It’s one of those hilarious core memories with a music act.
The Jonas Brothers roll into Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philly on Friday, October 2 on the Burning Up Tour All Over Again, coming off three sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden. That same night, beabadoobee plays the Liacouras Center on the Powerlines Tour, her first run of arenas. I do the Temple University spring concerts and always loved doing them with the team at Liacouras. And if you want to know how deep a Philly week can go without eating a cheesesteak, Weezer brings the Gathering Tour to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Tuesday, the same night AC/DC is across the parking lot at the Linc. And again, I’ll be at the Pennsylvania Convention Center trying to book dates and convince our park programmers why Degy is their choice (wink!).
When Oceans Calling got cancelled, a handful of the artists didn't just go home. KT Tunstall played two free pop-up sets at Buxy's Salty Dog Saloon for the fans who had already made the drive. That's a pro who understands that the fans who show up in a storm are the ones you keep for life. She's a phenomenal live performer, she can do a full band or strip it down to a guitar and a loop pedal, and she fits a performing arts center as well as she fits a festival stage.
My second gem is a hometown pick for the week. Alex G grew up in Havertown, just outside Philly, and he's out as the special guest on Phoebe Bridgers' arena tour, which hits Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 28. Alex also plays on her new album. He's one of those artists other musicians talk about constantly, and if you program a college series or an indie-leaning festival, he's a name worth putting on your list.
So what happens to all that money when something goes… wrong? I normally call Evan Schaefer in our office for this type of download. But I’ve done my deep research (again) and generally have to relearn this a few times a year. So, this is where I want to put on my teacher hat for a minute, because a lot of buyers I talk to assume "we have insurance" covers everything. It doesn't. There are three different kinds of coverage that get lumped together, and they do very different things.
The first is event cancellation, sometimes called contingency or abandonment coverage. Lloyd's of London, which writes some of this business, describes it as protection for when an event is cancelled because of non-appearance, damage to the venue, bad weather, strikes or other causes. It reimburses your expenses, and if you buy the richer version, you can often roll in your lost profits too. The catch is in the exclusions. Terrorism, war and communicable disease are usually excluded unless you pay for an extension, and since COVID, nobody is writing disease coverage cheaply.
The second is weather coverage, and it comes in two flavors. Traditional adverse weather coverage pays when a real, defined weather event forces a cancellation, and it has a big rule every buyer needs to know. Under what's called a known threat clause, once a storm is forecast or being tracked, you can't buy coverage for it anymore, and a bad forecast by itself isn't a covered reason to cancel. That's why the smart move is to buy when you put down a deposit, start spending serious money on expenses, or at the very least, a few weeks out. You should not try to bind a policy the week of the show. The newer flavor is parametric weather insurance; I’m still learning how to spell it, let alone explain it. Instead of proving your loss, you agree up front on a trigger (a certain amount of rain, a certain wind speed) and if the weather station hits it, you get paid. The best documented example, outside of some of our own, was when Bad Bunny's three sold-out shows in Medellín, 145,500 tickets worth $23.7 million, were covered by a rain policy triggered by a weather station set up inside the stadium, because traditional coverage just wasn't available that close to the dates. I’m still reading more on that one but wanted to make sure you could look it up.
The third is non-appearance coverage (I call it ‘non-performance’ most of the time), and this one is about the artist, not the sky. It pays when the show falls apart because a key performer can't be there due to death, accident, illness, or travel delays. It can be bought by the promoter, the artist, the buyer, or anyone else with money in the show. On bigger policies or massive tours, the insurer will generally want a medical exam, and pre-existing conditions are generally left out. For a college buyer, this is the one that protects your budget when the headliner gets sick the morning of Homecoming.
None of this is getting cheaper. Scott Schachter at Risk Strategies said that severe weather now accounts for about 42% of their cancellation claims, up from 28% a decade ago, and that premiums have tripled in some cases. My advice is simple. Talk to a specialty entertainment broker, not your general liability agent. Make sure you don’t wait; buy early. Read the exclusions out loud with your team to see if anything scares you. And put your weather plan in writing, because the underwriter is going to ask for it. The other piece to this is not to forget adding this into your first budget as a line item. You want to ensure it’s considered and factored into your costs.
Enough about storms and paperwork. Since I'm headed to see the country's best parks, recreation and festival programmers this week, I pulled five artists straight from the Parks & Rec and festival calendars our own agents booked this year. None of them showed up above, and every one of them is built for a lawn, a bandshell or a Fourth of July crowd.
Randy Rogers Band played the Fourth of July in El Paso for the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center, booked by Aislinn Jones. Texas country with a real road-dog work ethic, and a crowd that sings every word.
Moon Taxi played for the City of Plymouth Parks and Recreation on August 1, another Aislinn Jones booking. They are a festival band through and through, big hooks and a jam-band streak, and they turn a city park into a party.
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors played the Des Moines Arts Festival for us on June 26, booked by Jeff Hyman. If your audience runs from families to date-night couples, Drew is about as safe and as good a bet as there is.
Spin Doctors played the City of Umatilla on June 27, also a Jeff Hyman booking. The hits still land, the band can flat-out play, and the nostalgia sells tickets for a municipal show like almost nothing else.
Letters to Cleo did double duty for Jeff this year, the City of Mobile on May 30 and the Des Moines Arts Festival on June 27. A 90s alt-rock favorite that still sounds great, and a smart way to reach the parents in the crowd without losing the kids.
As I said above, this week, I'm off to Philadelphia with some of the Degy team for the NRPA Annual Conference, running Tuesday, September 29 through Thursday, October 1 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. It's the biggest gathering of parks, recreation and festival programmers in the country, the folks behind the free summer concert series, the Fourth of July fireworks shows and the downtown festivals that so many of our artists play every year. After a weekend like this one, you can bet weather plans and insurance are going to come up in just about every conversation we have. I am doing an ed session on Thursday with Aislinn called ‘Concerts in the Park: A Blueprint for Success.’ I wasn’t sure about bringing up the weather, but now it’s a no brainer.
If you're a programmer heading to Philly, come find us, say hello, and tell me your best rain-out story. I'll trade you about ten of mine. I’m heading from there to meet the family in Denver for a wedding, and then the industry descends on Nashville for IEBA on Sunday. If you’re wondering about the wedding and my attire, I did ask my wife to bring a suit (and shoes!). See you next weekend from Nash-Vegas!
Degy Entertainment has spent more than 25 years putting great live entertainment everywhere from city parks and county fairgrounds to college campuses, corporate events, military bases and major festivals. Our talent buying and middle-artist booking teams produce nearly 3,000 events a year across more than 30 countries, and when the weather turns, we're the ones on the phone working the backup plan with you.
Want to book a show, plan your 2027 series, or just compare notes on a rough weather weekend? Reach out to Ari Nisman anytime or learn more at Degy Entertainment.
What are the three types of event insurance?
The three types are: event cancellation (covers non-appearance, venue damage, bad weather, strikes), weather coverage (traditional or parametric approaches), and non-appearance insurance (covers when the artist can't perform due to illness, accident, or death). Each serves different purposes and has distinct exclusions.
What's the difference between traditional weather coverage and parametric weather insurance?
Traditional weather coverage requires proving your losses after a defined weather event causes cancellation. Parametric weather insurance works differently: you agree up front on a weather trigger (specific rainfall amount, wind speed), and if weather stations hit that trigger, you receive automatic payment without proving losses. Parametric is faster-paying but less flexible.
What's a "known threat clause" in weather insurance?
A known threat clause means once a storm is forecasted or being tracked, you can't purchase coverage for that specific storm anymore. This is why smart promoters buy weather insurance early (at deposit stage or several weeks before the event), not the week of the show. Bad forecasts alone aren't covered reasons to cancel.
Can you buy event cancellation insurance the week of the event?
No, not effectively. Once weather systems are being tracked, insurers won't bind new coverage for that specific threat. Insurance brokers recommend purchasing when you book deposits, when you make significant financial commitments, or at minimum several weeks before the event date.
What does event cancellation insurance actually cover?
Event cancellation insurance covers expenses when an event is cancelled due to: artist non-appearance, venue damage, weather, strikes, or other covered causes. You can purchase basic coverage that reimburses expenses, or richer policies that also cover lost profits. Exclusions typically include terrorism, war, and disease (unless specifically added).
What are common exclusions in event cancellation insurance?
Standard exclusions include terrorism, war, and communicable disease. Since COVID, disease coverage is expensive or unavailable. Some policies exclude specific causes unless endorsed. Always read exclusions carefully with your team to understand what's actually covered.
What is non-appearance (non-performance) insurance?
Non-appearance insurance covers when a key performer can't perform due to death, accident, illness, or travel delays. It protects the event budget against headliner cancellations. Anyone with financial interest in the show can purchase it (promoter, artist, buyer, sponsor), though larger policies often require medical exams.
Why have weather insurance premiums tripled in recent years?
Severe weather now accounts for approximately 42% of event cancellation claims, up from 28% a decade ago. Climate change patterns are increasing frequency of severe weather events, making weather-related cancellations more common and expensive for insurers. Risk has increased, so premiums have followed.
What should a promoter do before purchasing event insurance?
Talk to a specialty entertainment broker (not a general liability agent), start the process early rather than waiting, read all exclusions out loud with your team, put your weather contingency plan in writing (underwriters will require it), and include insurance costs as a line item in your budget.
What's the Bad Bunny parametric insurance example?
Bad Bunny's three sold-out Medellín shows (145,500 tickets, $23.7M value) were covered by rain-triggered parametric insurance because a weather station inside the stadium tracked rainfall. If rainfall exceeded the agreed trigger, payment was automatic. This worked because traditional coverage wasn't available that close to the event dates.
Can you purchase insurance after a storm is already forecasted?
No, the known threat clause prevents this. Once a storm system is being tracked or forecast, insurers won't cover that specific threat. This is why early purchase is critical; it captures your protection window before weather threats emerge.
Is disease coverage available for event insurance?
Disease coverage is rarely available and extremely expensive since COVID. Standard event cancellation policies exclude communicable disease unless specifically endorsed. For modern events, disease coverage options are limited and costly compared to other coverage types.
What's the difference between weather insurance and general liability insurance?
General liability covers injuries and damages to third parties. Weather insurance covers your financial loss if weather forces event cancellation. Non-appearance covers artist non-performance. You need all three for comprehensive event protection.
How do you file a claim under parametric weather insurance?
Parametric insurance doesn't require claim filing or loss documentation. If the predetermined weather trigger is met (e.g., 3 inches of rain recorded), payment triggers automatically. The weather station data activates the claim, making parametric insurance faster than traditional coverage.
What should be included in a written weather plan?
Include: specific weather triggers that force decisions (temperature, wind speed, rainfall amounts), decision-making timeline and who has authority, setup and teardown contingencies, backup dates or indoor alternatives, communication protocols with vendors and attendees, refund policies, and insurance claim procedures.
Can you buy non-appearance insurance for pre-existing health conditions?
Pre-existing conditions are typically excluded from non-appearance coverage. Large policies with medical exams are more likely to have exclusions for known health issues. New or undisclosed conditions are generally covered, but known problems won't be.
Why do big touring shows sometimes use parametric insurance?
Parametric insurance pays instantly upon trigger events without requiring loss documentation. For massive tours (Bad Bunny's $23.7M example), parametric works well because you can't easily prove actual losses across multiple venues. You know upfront what you'll receive if weather hits the trigger.
How much should event budgets allocate for insurance?
Insurance costs vary widely based on event size, risk profile, location, time of year, and coverage types selected. Premium recommendations range from 2-10% of event budget for comprehensive coverage, but exact amounts require quotes from specialty entertainment brokers based on your specific event.
What happens if you cancel an event without insurance?
Without insurance, you absorb all losses: venue rental, artist guarantees, production costs, marketing expenses, staff wages, and refunds to ticket holders. This can total hundreds of thousands or millions for major events. This is why insurance planning should be part of initial budgeting.
Is weather insurance necessary for all outdoor events?
Weather insurance isn't required, but it's critical for large events with significant financial exposure. Small community events might self-insure (absorb losses). Mid-sized events benefit greatly from parametric or traditional weather coverage. Large festivals should have comprehensive coverage including weather, cancellation, and non-appearance.
What should you do if a major storm approaches your event?
Consult your written weather plan and decision timeline. Document the threat (photos, forecasts, advisories). Contact your insurance broker if you're considering cancellation. Communicate clearly with vendors, venues, artists, and attendees. If you cancel, file claims promptly with proper documentation and photos showing why cancellation was necessary.