Worsening air quality from wildfire smoke led to cancellations of two large concerts in Bend last week, during the busy Central Oregon tourist season.
Musical artists My Morning Jacket and Noah Kahan canceled their sets at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater, a popular concert venue that can hold up to 8,000 people. The smoky conditions were unsafe for concert-goers, the artists said.
“It’s a frustrating situation that we’ve been monitoring closely and hoping for it to improve — unfortunately this seems like the most responsible move,” Kahan said in a written announcement.
The Hayden Homes Amphitheater (right) in Bend, Oregon on Aug. 21 near an unseasonably empty Deschutes River. Smoke from nearby wildfires led to two shows at the venue being canceled.
Joni Land / OPB
Concert organizers said full refunds would be issued to ticket holders within 30 days.
Smoke from large wildfires in Canada and Eastern Washington degraded air quality across Oregon over the weekend. Air quality remained unhealthy in many parts of the state as of Monday morning, with 16 counties under an advisory issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
Related: How to cope with heat, fire and smoke in Oregon
When air quality advisories are in effect, officials recommend that people limit their time outdoors. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides smoke maps with health recommendations on its website, Airnow.gov
DEQ spokesperson Harry Esteve said the agency expects to make an announcement Tuesday morning on whether the Oregon advisories will be extended. An advisory in Multnomah County was scheduled to be lifted on Monday, he said.
The next show scheduled to go on at Hayden Homes Amphitheater will be Weezer on Tuesday evening.