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Ella Langley Says Canceled Tulsa Concert Was 'Not Worth a Human Life' After Bomb Threat
ReElla Langley Says Canceled Tulsa Concert Was 'Not Worth a Human Life' After Bomb Threat
Country star Ella Langley defended her decision to cancel a sold-out Tulsa show after a bomb threat, telling a Texas crowd that safety outweighs any performance.
Country music star Ella Langley is defending her decision to cancel a sold-out concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after a reported bomb threat, telling fans in Texas that a show is never worth risking a human life.
Langley, 27, addressed the cancellation while performing Saturday night at the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, one day after calling off her Friday show at Tulsa's BOK Center. She became emotional as she explained why she chose not to perform even though police said they found no credible threat.
«I was put in charge of a decision for 15,000 people and I decided to make the decision that I could live with the rest of my life,» Langley told the crowd, according to Taste of Country. «Because when it comes to keeping you safe and making sure that this show is a safe place for us to come and enjoy our music, then it will happen. But the second, it feels like it's not, I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it because a concert's not worth a human life. It's not.»
She added that she would have made the same call «ten billion times over» and would do so again in the future. Langley said the safety of her fans outweighed her desire to perform, noting that while she is grateful for her career, it is not the most important thing in life.
«What's the most important thing in this life is the people around you that love you and that are there for you no matter what,» she said. «The most important thing in this life is that you wake up every day and feel like, 'You know what, I'm good today. I am so grateful to have woken up today.'»
Langley also spoke about her Christian faith, telling the audience that her relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in her life. She admitted she nearly canceled Saturday's Texas show because she was still shaken by the incident, but credited her faith with giving her the courage to return to the stage.
«If it wasn't for Him, I would have canceled this show tonight,» she said. «But I felt this calling and this tug in my chest saying, 'It's OK. We are safe. We can do this show.' And I decided to do it because of Him right there. And that's the only reason.»
She told the crowd she refuses to live in fear and that no one will scare her out of performing. «I'm not gonna live in fear,» Langley said. «We're going to put on music and get to do this for the rest of our lives. And I know that. I know because this is my calling.»
Langley expressed gratitude to fans who attended the Texas show despite the frightening incident in Oklahoma. «I know yesterday was scary, it was scary for all of us,» she said. «But we're just so grateful to be playing this show tonight. We're so grateful and we will never take this for granted.»
The singer announced the cancellation of Friday's Tulsa concert on Instagram about two hours before the show was scheduled to begin. «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,» she wrote. «This decision was made under the advisement of local authorities, the venue, and my security team.»
She apologized to fans for the time, travel, money and planning that went into attending the show, saying she refused to put anyone in harm's way. The BOK Center also released a statement saying the safety of everyone involved was its absolute priority and that the show could not proceed. The venue said ticket refunds and additional information would be shared as soon as possible.
The Tulsa Police Department said it found no credible threat to the event. In a since-deleted Facebook statement, the department explained that officers conducted routine security sweeps before the concert using K-9 units, bomb technicians, patrol officers and venue security personnel and «did not find anything» dangerous. «A call was made threatening the lives of people attending the event,» the statement read. «Out of an abundance of caution, we swept the building and surrounding area and again found no credible threat to the event's safety.»
Langley's remarks in Lubbock marked her first public comments since the cancellation, and she used the moment to thank her band, crew and fans for helping her through a difficult weekend.
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