Tom Petty issues statement after fire marshals shutter Fonda gig

In wake of Saturday night’s shortened Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers concert at the Fonda in Hollywood, the artist and band issued a statement regarding the action. The concert, the fourth of a six-gig residency at the 1,300-seat Hollywood venue, was cut off by fire marshals midway through Petty’s gig after the theater was determined to be over capacity.

Below is the full statement from Petty and the band, issued Sunday afternoon.

Statement From Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Regarding Last Night’s Early Conclusion To The Concert At The Fonda Theatre In Los Angeles

First and foremost, the safety of our fans is our primary concern and the most important consideration.

To those fans who attended last night’s show at the Fonda Theatre, we are as frustrated as you are!

While we are still investigating exactly what happened we do know the following as of right now:

1) The number of tickets sold was NOT above the legal capacity of the building. The venue and Ticketmaster documentation confirms this.

2) The Fire Marshal decided that the number of people on the floor (as opposed to on the upstairs balcony or terrace) was unsafe.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and our representatives rely on the concert promoter and venue representatives to give us an accurate breakdown of the legal capacity for every part of the building and to provide security and other staff to enforce this.

We are still investigating all details of last night’s situation and will keep you informed.

The shows at the Fonda tonight and Tuesday will go ahead as planned and we are working with the venue, the promoter and the Fire Marshal to ensure that this problem will not repeat itself.

We thank you for your support.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Pop & Hiss will be at Sunday’s Fonda gig, and will offer further updates.

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Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers gig at Fonda cut short by fire marshals