Fans at the Brisbane Andre Rieu concert were forced to take refuge inside Suncorp Stadium after a severe thunderstorm lashed south east Queensland and delayed proceedings by one hour.

                                     (c) Jonathan Clifford

Damaging winds, large hailstones and severe lightning across south east Queensland forced Rieu fans standing on the grass and sitting in uncovered sections to take refuge inside the stadium, which was one of the worst areas hit by the storm.

The concert, which was scheduled to start at 7pm (AEST), did not start until 8pm (AEST).

Organisers say they were very close to cancelling the concert as an 8pm starting time meant the concert could go as late as 11.15pm (AEST).

One fan at the event said it was extremely crowded inside the corridors during the storm with people packed shoulder to shoulder.

Energex spokesman Graham Metcalf said 27,000 homes and businesses across south east Queensland lost power.

"The major cause was the many thousands of lightning strikes, some of which hit Energex electricity infrastructure," Metcalf said.

"Crews are arriving at the scene now and will be working through the night to restore power.

He said the worst hit areas from the storm was the Milton/Paddington area, Lockyer Valley, Logan and Brisbane's inner northern suburbs.

                                         (c) Steven Clay

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December 3, 2008