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The first hurricane of the 2011 season has South Florida in its crosshairs, and for fans of electronic music, the timing couldn’t be any worse.

With Hurricane Irene expected to make landfall in South Florida on August 25th, speculation mounted that the IDentity Fest tour would not be visiting Miami as planned. On the afternoon of Monday, August 22nd, festival officials released the following statement:

Due to the potential effects of Hurricane Irene, the Thursday, August 25 date of the IDentity Festival presented by Skullcandy is being postponed.

Details regarding a potential reschedule date will be released on Monday, August 29 at 2PM Pacific Standard Time.

In the meantime, refunds will be available at the point of purchase.

IDentity is scheduled to perform as planned on Wednesday, August 24 in Tampa, Florida.

No other dates are affected.

Following a string of tragic mishaps at music festivals this summer, IDentity’s producers have little choice but to err on the side of caution. The recent deadly stage collapse at Belgium’s Pukkelpop festival occurred during a heavy thunderstorm, leaving many to wonder if the same thing could happen here. Ongoing investigations into this and other incidents may result in increased scrutiny and more rigorous safety standards at large music events.

Would-be festival goers, many of whom have been stockpiling recreational drugs in anticipation of August 25th, are understandably disappointed. Some are even planning all-night, ecstasy-fueled ‘hurricane raves’ as consolation parties, and we can’t say we blame them for not waiting. Whenever IDentity Fest actually does occur, interest will have already waned and the event will be no more than a shadow of its former self.