What was meant to be a triumphant weekend for Reneé Rapp at two of England’s most legendary festivals instead turned into a waterlogged nightmare for the “Not My Fault” singer when torrential downpours and technical difficulties washed out her anticipated Reading and Leeds debuts.
As often happens during the English summer festival season, the skies opened up this weekend, leading to Rapp’s set at Leeds on Friday being cancelled after a long rain delay. In a snap of an Instagram Story message to fans, Rapp wrote, “Leeds, the weather has been too dangerous for our crew or myself to set up/access the stage all morning… I’m so sad to miss you but your safety and my team’s safety is of the utmost importance and I can’t risk that love you down and see you at reading.”
However, the Mean Girls star’s Reading Festival set on Sunday was similarly bedeviled by a series of technical issues due to the storm, which led to that set being cut short. According to setlist.fm, Rapp opened with “Talk Too Much,” but had to restart due to sound issues. “Guys, I really really really wanna give you a good show. Um… we are drenched. Some of our equipment is f–ked,” Rapp told the crowd per fan-shot video. “But we do really wanna give you a good show. So, if you’re down, we will restart with ‘Not My Fault.’ And if I slip and fall, it is not my insurance. I’m not paying for that s–t.”
She then slogged through “Poison Poison” before pausing to let crews come out and dry off the waterlogged stage as a result of the effects of Storm Lilian. The set then reportedly ended abruptly during “Not My Fault,” which was cut short before Rapp left the stage. Reading organizers — who had earlier apologized to Lana Del Rey for cutting her set short and turning off her mic abruptly — thanked Rapp for her professionalism.
“We would like to thank Reneé Rapp for her perseverance and professionalism amidst the technical difficulties we have had to continue to deal with from Storm Lilian,” read the statement. “We are desperately hoping, like you, that she will come back to R&L in the future.”
See fan reposts of messages from the festivals and some of Rapp’s performance below.