Who knew a smoker would have issues with smoking?

Attendees of Britney Spears’ concert in Vancouver, BC were rudely surprised last night when the singer left the stage dark for approximately 30 minutes. The interruption occurred only three songs into the headliner’s set.

According to the Vancouver Sun, concertgoers were left confused as to why the performance had stopped. After a mixture of chanting and boos, a voice on the loudspeaker said smoking in GM Place was to blame.

“It’s become uncomfortable and unsafe for the performers, including Ms. Spears,” the announcement stated. “The show will resume as soon as the air around the stage is clear.”

Finally around 9:05, almost 50 minutes after she began, Britney returned to the stage and resumed the show.

Although it was never confirmed whether marijuana smoking was the issue (a spokesperson for the venue claims only cigarettes were involved), Spears does reference the illegal substance during her goodbye. In the clip above you can hear her (at about the :50 mark) say, “Drive safe. Don’t smoke weed. And rock out with your c**ks out! Peace, motherf**kers!”

A short apology for the delay was later issued via the singer’s website: “We want to apologize to all the fans who attended our Vancouver show tonight for the brief pause in Britney’s set. Crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue.”

So should ticket holders for tonight’s concert in Tacoma, WA be concerned? According to the deputy director for the Tacoma Dome, no. The venue has a ventilation system and air handlers in place to work in situations such as events using pyrotechnics.