Cork Opera House ends gig early due to safety concerns

Cork Opera House has apologised for ending one of its shows early on Sunday night due to safety concerns related to a barrier at the front of the venue.

Dublin quartet The Scratch took to the Opera House stage on Sunday night as part of the venue’s Guinness Cork Jazz Festival lineup.

A safety barrier toward the front of the venue became compromised during the gig which prompted the band to ask revellers to give security staff space to address the matter.

The band addressed the crowd, asking them to pull away from the front of the stage, but it became apparent that they would not be finishing as planned as event organisers called an early halt to proceedings, leaving many fans disappointed.

The Scratch apologised for the situation, promising to return and make it up to attendees.

Cork Opera House released a statement on Monday evening on its X, formerly Twitter, account.

“We wish to apologise to the patrons who were attending The Scratch last night, Sunday 29h October,” the statement read.

We had to make the difficult decision to finish the show earlier than anticipated due to a barrier becoming compromised during the performance.

“The safety of our patrons and artists is always our highest priority - we regret that this decision was necessary but we had no choice.

“We wish also to acknowledge and thank the band - The Scratch for their understanding of the situation.

“Thank you to our patrons for their patience and support and we look forward to welcoming you back to COH in the near future.”