This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6221241.stm

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Weather scuppers outdoor concert Weather scuppers outdoor concert
(about 2 hours later)
Foul weather has led to the cancellation of an outdoor concert in Belfast City Hall to usher in 2007.Foul weather has led to the cancellation of an outdoor concert in Belfast City Hall to usher in 2007.
The Rock The Hall outdoor concert was called off for safety reasons as high winds battered Northern Ireland.The Rock The Hall outdoor concert was called off for safety reasons as high winds battered Northern Ireland.
The artists - including Tony Christie and Beverly Knight - will perform in the city hall minus the audience and be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 from 2230 GMT.The artists - including Tony Christie and Beverly Knight - will perform in the city hall minus the audience and be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 from 2230 GMT.
Thousands of people had been expected to attend, but a spokesman for the city council said safety had to come first. Thousands of people had been expected to attend, but the Belfast City Council said safety had to come first.
"It is unfortunate that we have had to cancel the show, but the health and safety of the audience, performers and crew has to be our primary consideration at all times," he said. The events manager at the council, Gerry Copeland, said the cancellation was "hugely disappointing" - but the safest thing to do under the circumstances.
"We've been monitoring this for probably about 72 hours, and getting hourly updates from the Met Office, and our most recent forecast - not just off the web, but also verbal updates - are showing there are going to be gusts possibly 70 to 80 miles an hour.
"There's no temporary structure in any part of the world that would actually be able to withstand those kinds of gusts," Mr Copeland said.
"So our absolute priority is not just for the public who would have come down here, obviously they're disappointed, but also for the artists and the crew who are actually working on the show as well."