A chunk of plaster falls at Hanford Fox Theatre, and Brothers Osborne improvise | The Fresno Bee

The Brothers Osborne country music duo improvised Saturday night, taking their show to the top of their tour bus after a chunk of plaster fell on the stage at the Hanford Fox Theatre.

No one was hurt, said Fox Theatre owner Dan Humason.

But he was taking no chances after the historic theater reopened earlier this year after a two-year restoration that cost nearly $4 million, largely done because of a ceiling collapse.

The Brothers Osborne played a 30-minute set on top of the tour bus that included performing in the rain, Humason said.

Rolling Stone reported on it.

The Brothers Osborne received the 2016 vocal duo of the year award from the County Music Association.

They have some experience with falling ceiling tiles – Taste of Country reported that the duo of TJ and John Osborne ended a show early after a portion of the ceiling fell on the stage during a Nov. 27 concert in Boise, Idaho.

“To happen twice is really freaky,” Humason said.

The musicians were about five minutes away from going onstage when a piece of ornamental plaster covering a concrete beam came crashing onto the stage, Humason said.

“It was about the size of small pizza, about a half-inch thick,” Humason said. “It came down with a bang.”

Humason had a decision to make: let the band perform as they were eager to do or cancel the show. Within about 20 minutes, he chose the latter.

“I’m not an architect, I’m not an engineer,” Humason said. “I’ll err on the side of caution and end the show.”

When he told the brothers that he couldn’t allow the show to go on, one of their party suggested performing outside on top of the bus, he said. The thought came across as a wild idea, but one of the brothers called it “genius” and within minutes gear was being set up on top of the bus, he said.

An announcement was made that the Brothers Osborne would perform outside.

“It was a really good show,” Humason said. It began to rain but the performers kept going, he said.

British singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas, the wife of John Osborne, turned to Twitter to praise the improvisation. “Best acoustic show I’ve ever gotten to be part of,” she wrote on her Twitter post. And fans praised the stars for their perseverance.

The plaster was not part of the ceiling restoration project and it was not structural, Humason said. But it came down from an area less than three feet from the new ceiling. The shaking from equipment used during the restoration might have caused it to loosen, he said.

Monday, construction experts had put up scaffolding and were looking at it, he said.

The show will be rescheduled and tickets will be honored at that time. Anyone who wants a refund can get one including fees, he said.