Beyonce concert evacuated due to severe weather

Thousands of Beyonce fans were evacuated from a concert in Minnesota on Monday night (23May16) due to a severe weather warning.

Around 35,000 fans were waiting for Beyonce to begin her Formation World Tour show at the open-air TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis when they were instructed to evacuate to the stadium concourse or nearby shelters due to a forecast of thunder and lightning.

The concert was delayed a number of times while officials assessed the weather, and the devotees were ushered back into the stadium around 9.30pm local time, 90 minutes after the scheduled start.

Beyonce thanked her fans for their patience, telling the crowd, "I am so honored to be here tonight. Thanks for riding with me through the storm."

She also praised the late icon Prince, who lived near the city and died in April (16), by saying, "I'm so excited to be here, the home of one of my heroes."

According to reports on Twitter, rapper Wiz Khalifa was a surprise opening act, and managed to complete his set before the evacuation.

Earlier on Monday, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith declared the day Beyonce Day in honor of the show.

"Beyonce has influenced many young girls and women with powerful, positive messages in her songs and thousands of Minnesotans will gather at TCF Bank Stadium to hear Beyonce perform," the proclamation read. "Now, therefore…I hearby proclaim Monday as Beyonce day."

This isn't the first evacuation on the Formation World Tour - earlier in May concertgoers were ordered to leave a stadium in North Carolina midway through the show due to another lightning storm.