another deadly stage collapse at a rock festival

one of the stages has collapsed at the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium, resulting in several deaths

I tust no-one on this forum is affected, but following so soon on the collapse of a stage in Indianapolis, I wonder if stage design needs looking at afresh (although both were weather related)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14582448

[edit: I just found this article looking at the implications for the industry: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/18/stage-collapses-concerts_n_930679.html ]

That's so terrible. I'm going to an outdoor festival next weekend...I'm starting to get self-conscious about standing at the very front of these types of things.

This is one of the most dramatic things I have ever seen in my life. I was in a tent (where Miles Kane was about to begin, was really looking forward to it without really knowing what was about to happen), next to the one that collapsed, when hell broke loose. The wind was so heavy, the noise in the tent so loud, so frightening. At one point I really thought that this tent would go down, but for some reason I (and a lot of other people) just stayed in there. After 15 minutes it was clear that Miles Kane wouldn't perform, we went out, and then we saw what happened out there. In 15 minutes the whole festival ground was completely destroyed, I didn't know what to think when I saw all the debris: trees, fences, and of course the whole Chateau-tent: all down, impossible to imagine that only 20 minutes earlier a band was performing in there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=okyx6HbpHmI Check this video: at about 1'27" you can see the tent collapsing.

What a tragic day, I don't think I'll ever be able to return to a festival without thinking of this day.

fluppebxl wrote:

This is one of the most dramatic things I have ever seen in my life. I was in a tent (where Miles Kane was about to begin, was really looking forward to it without really knowing what was about to happen), next to the one that collapsed, when hell broke loose. The wind was so heavy, the noise in the tent so loud, so frightening. At one point I really thought that this tent would go down, but for some reason I (and a lot of other people) just stayed in there. After 15 minutes it was clear that Miles Kane wouldn't perform, we went out, and then we saw what happened out there. In 15 minutes the whole festival ground was completely destroyed, I didn't know what to think when I saw all the debris: trees, fences, and of course the whole Chateau-tent: all down, impossible to imagine that only 20 minutes earlier a band was performing in there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=okyx6HbpHmI Check this video: at about 1'27" you can see the tent collapsing.

What a tragic day, I don't think I'll ever be able to return to a festival without thinking of this day.

glad to know you are ok

For one brief second I really thought I wouldn't be. Very odd to see how nobody really knew what to do: outside there where things and heavy hail flying around, but it wasn't exactly safe inside the tents either.

Right now, five people are dead, three others are still in a critical condition, and there are over 140 people wounded. If it was one hour later, I would've been inside that tent. Killing me to think about it.

For a lot of people in Belgium, the music died a little bit yesterday. And it started so great, with great gigs by Noah & The Whale, The Wombats and The Naked and Famous. The sun was still shining at that moment...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i52kwAzlOwU&feature=related

This one is also quite frightening... We sometimes have some bad weather in Belgium, but raining trees is quite rare around here.

sadly, another deadly stage collapse, albeit prior to the show

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18475898


Radiohead concert: Fatal stage collapse in Toronto

Drum technician Scott Johnson from Doncaster in South Yorkshire died and three others were injured when a stage collapsed before a Radiohead concert in the Canadian city of Toronto on Saturday.

The collapse happened an hour before the gates were due to open for the concert at Downsview Park, with queues already beginning to form outside.

Sadly this guy was from the same town as me.

It's a harrowing experience to be in that situation, still remember seeing The Smashing Pumpkins in 96, and hearing that someone had died on our way back from the gig. The gig was cancelled half way through the set due to it been so warm, and all of the balcony getting onto the floor. Security were throwing crowdsurfers back into the crowd. People who were just trying to escape the madness on the floor. It was a miracle that only one person died...

Never had a quieter trip home than that one...

Noone deserves to goto a gig and never come home...noone deserves to goto anything they love and never come home...

That's so tragic. How did this one happen though? I've heard of wind being responsible in the past but I didn't hear anything about that this time.

Thank god more people weren't killed (not that that diminishes this man's death).