On This Day in Music History: Bomb Threat Halts Rolling Stones Show

Eight songs into a 2005 performance at the University of Virginia’s Scott Stadium, Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger announced the band would be taking a 10-minute break. That short break would turn into a 45-minute sweep of the venue as police and canine units searched for a bomb.

That night around 9 p.m., 911 operators received a threat of an explosive device believed to be targeting the stage area. The school’s stadium saw nearly 50,000 fans in attendance the Thursday night. According to The Associated Press, law enforcement cleared the first 20 rows of the audience while bomb-detecting dogs sniffed out the stage.

The local newspaper, Richmond-Times Dispatch, reported after the incident, describing concertgoers’ reactions as “a mix of nervous curiosity and patience,” taking the break to visit concessions and merch booths.

Nothing unusual turned up in the sweep of the area and the house lights dimmed at 10:40 p.m. when the all-clear came through. Jagger calmly “strutted to the front of the stage and mumbled something that sounded like ‘Thanks for your patience’ before the band kicked into a blistering ‘Miss You,’” the Dispatch reported.

The band reportedly ignored the 11 p.m. ordinance, playing well past midnight to finish their show.

The Rolling Stones were in the midst of a lengthy leg of stadium tours in support of their latest release, A Bigger Bang. Get a glimpse of what the UVA show consisted of in the Bigger Bang tour trailer, below.

Photo: Kevin Mazur / Gettyimages.com