Ella Langley cancels sold-out Tulsa show over threat; police say they found no credible danger and did not advise canceling

Country singer Ella Langley canceled her sold-out concert at Tulsa's BOK Center on Friday, Oct. 9, hours before showtime. She cited "a serious security threat involving the safety of my fans, the venue staff, and my team."

The Tulsa Police Department says its officers found no credible threat and did not tell anyone to cancel.

What Langley said

Langley announced the cancellation on Instagram on Friday afternoon. "The incredibly difficult decision was made to cancel tonight's show," she wrote. "This decision was made under the advisement of local authorities, the venue, and my security team."

She apologized to fans. "I know how much time, travel, money, and planning goes into coming to a show, and I can't tell you how sorry I am. This is not a decision that was made lightly," she wrote. "I refuse to put anyone in harm's way."

Langley did not describe the threat. The 27-year-old was headlining the 19,199-seat arena on her Dandelion Tour, with Kameron Marlowe and Laci Kaye Booth scheduled as openers.

What Tulsa police said

Police say a phone call was made "threatening the lives of people attending the event." Capt. Richard Meulenberg said in a Facebook video that the caller warned of possible gunfire and bombs.

The department says its K-9 unit, bomb team, patrol officers and BOK Center security swept the venue before the event and "did not find anything." After the call, officers swept the building and surrounding area again with bomb dogs, "in an overabundance of caution," Meulenberg said.

"We could not find a credible threat here at the BOK Center," he said.

Police say they relayed that finding to Langley's staff. "We would never tell anybody, if we couldn't find a credible threat, to cancel their event. So they made the decision to cancel their event tonight," Meulenberg said. The department's written statement said the performer's staff "decided to cancel the performance anyway."

The department added that "some nefarious characters successfully disrupted the event, ruining the evening for thousands of people." It said the incident is under investigation. No arrests have been announced.

Two accounts of who made the call

The accounts differ on how much local authorities were involved. Langley says the decision came "under the advisement of local authorities." Meulenberg says police gave a no-credible-threat assessment and left the decision to her team. He said neither the police department nor the venue canceled the show.

The BOK Center's statement says only that "after careful consideration, we have determined that the show cannot proceed." It does not say who recommended canceling. The venue said the safety of fans "will always come first."

A sweep that finds nothing does not settle whether a threat was real, and the call itself named gunfire and bombs. Langley's security team has not said publicly what information it relied on. Police say nothing was found at the venue, and they have not identified the caller.

Refunds and the next show

The BOK Center said ticket refund information and further details will come "as soon as possible." No rescheduled date for Tulsa has been announced.

Langley's next date is Saturday, Oct. 10, at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, again with Marlowe and Booth. No cancellation of that show has been announced.

The cancellation comes during a career peak. Her single "Choosin' Texas" has spent more than 23 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, passing the 22 weeks held by Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

The open questions are who made the call, whether police can identify the caller, and what Langley's team will tell Tulsa ticket holders about refunds and a makeup date.