Torrential rain and severe flooding in Auckland, New Zealand, caused an Elton John concert to be canceled on Friday, January 27.

According to the concert promoters, the concert was canceled due to unsafe weather conditions, shortly before Elton John was scheduled to take the stage.

In a statement shared to his Instagram story, John said he was "absolutely heartbroken that tonight’s show in Auckland couldn’t go ahead.

“I was at the venue and determined to play as the weather reports we received in advance weren’t fully conclusive,” he wrote. “We’re monitoring the situation closely with local authorities and will let ticket buyers of tomorrow night’s show know as soon as humanly possible of any changes.”

A state of emergency was declared in Auckland on Friday, following near-record rainfall in the city.

This footage from Jesse Woods shows crowds leaving the Mt Smart Stadium as rain pours. Credit: Jesse Wood via Storyful