In the music industry, the business
of live events should as much about the music itself as it is the safety for
those that attend and work the shows. In a public gathering spot, charging entrance
to an event or free; concerts, sporting event, fairs, theatres, clubs or bars
bear the responsibility to ensure as safe of an environment for the fans and
indeed anyone involved in the show, as possible at all times. Planning and
execution of a live event, any live event, should be done with public and
worker safety at the forefront. Since the start of the 2000s, there has been a
record number of show attendee related injures and even deaths.
Starting with the most recent
tragedy for nightclubs, in Brazil, the KISS nightclub, a local hotspot for
teens and college students caught fire after the band’s pyrotechnics ignited
the insulation foam over the stage, this toxic and quick burning fire quickly
overtook the crowd, who in trying to escape had one exit, bouncers unaware of
the emergency and no time to get out leaving 256 dead. Perm, Russia December 5,
2009, at a club known as the Lame Horse, again another incident of improper
pyrotechnics used in a low clearance building, unsafe materials over the stage,
causing the fire to ignite and spread at a rapid rate, while spewing highly
toxic fumes. The patrons tried to flee, however 109 died in the fire and many
others suffered injury due to the fact that the club’s only lit exit was the front
door. Republica Cromnon nightclub in Buenos Aries, Argentina, December 30,
2004, 194 people killed after a firework ignited the foam ceiling, fire exits
where chained shut, and no working fire extinguishers.
The one that left an indelible
mark on the States is the tragic fire at The Station nightclub in West Warrick,
RI on February 20, 2003. The 80s rock band, Great White was scheduled to
perform as headliner at the club that Thursday night. As the band’s set
started, their tour manager Daniel Bichele, ignited the band’s pyrotechnics
with total disregard to the size of the building, type of acoustical and
insulation foam that was over the stage and ignoring the possibility that these
fireworks might be too much for the space. That night, 100 people lost their
lives and another 200 were injured due to negligence, on the part of the band
and their crew, those in charge of the venue that night, and also the club’s
owners and city officials that allowed the building to stay open despite the
fact it was in violation of multiple fire codes.
Disregard for human safety is the dark side of
the music industry, one that must be brought into the light and held
accountable. Criminal charges where filed in all cases with mixed results. For
The Station tragedy, the band itself maintains their innocence, while Bichele
plead guilty to all charges and served four years of a fifteen-year sentence.
The club’s owners also served lightened sentences, or not at all, and not one
member of Great White has claimed any responsibility to date. Also many civil
suits followed with the list of named defendants lengthily, from the club
owners, to the city and state governments, the makers of the foam, the ones
that sold it, even against JBL for the foam in the speakers and the concert promoter,
as the show was sponsored by the local radio station owned by broadcasting
giant, Clear Channel.
Later years brought more
tragedy in the form of staging and roofing collapses. August 1, 2009 tipped off
the new wave of issues at the Big Valley Jamboree Festival in Alberta, Canada,
leaving 40 injured, and one dead. July 17, 2011 at the Ottawa City Blues Fest,
the band Cheap Trick was in the middle of their performance when a storm that
had blown up took a turn for the worse. Literally seconds before the roofing of
the stage was blown backwards, the band had decided mid-song to leave the
stage, and as they did, it came crashing down on them. Taking the brunt of the
initial hit was the band’s gear truck parked behind the stage that was crushed
by but gave the band time to get free of the stage and allow the roadies just enough
time to clamber up and grab equipment. Though the band and most of the crew
escaped injury, a few did not including their truck driver and another
stagehand. Then on June 16, 2012, a temporary roof and stage setup for a
Radiohead concert in Toronto collapsed prior to show opening, killing drum
tech, Scott Johnson for the opening band the BBC. There where no adverse
weather conditions however in Toronto that day, and there is still no official
ruling to date on the cause of the roof collapse.
Aug. 6, 2011, high winds toppled a lighting rig at an outdoor concert
by the Flaming Lips in Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed by the tragedy at the IndianaState Fair when the roof blew off just prior to the band Sugarland taking the
stage, killing 5 and injuring many more. Again, in each of these cases, a set
list of things go wrong prior to the show start or to anyone getting on those
stages. Safety checks and inspections on the structures for internal integrity
were not performed or not up to standard, weather conditions where not taken
into account and the calls were not made early enough to prevent injury, and
also, the roofing was overloaded with lighting and audio, on truss not wind rated
for the kind of poundage that was strapped to them, causing them to tip in high
winds.
Through all of these, fingers have been pointed, some charges filed on
many parties, and civil lawsuits abound. In some areas, the state and federal
laws have been updated to include new safety measures for venues and other
places of gathering, however, it’s not enough, indeed, some say it’s too
little, too late. Advocates, such as Paul Wartheimer
of Crowd Management Strategies published a list of 14 questions that he believes
should be used as reference prior to starting any outdoor live event. He also
sites many other lessons that are to be learned after any large crowd disaster,
citing the state fair as the most recent, but applying to all, “A lack of
comprehensive local, state and national safety laws and standards; an appalling
lack of competent event management and staffing; a failure to enforce or comply
to safety laws that do exist; and the failure to hold parties criminally
responsible for preventable crowd disasters,” says Wartheimer in his follow-up article, The Indiana State Fair Tragedy One Year Later: What Happened And What To Do Now.
Going forward however, it is the responsibility of everyone involved
in show production to be safety minded first, foremost and always. Communication
with all staff connected to the event is vital, and must stay up to date. There
is no room for pointing blame when lives are being lost, all in the name of a
good time. Fans that thought they would get to see the show of their lives and
instead gave their lives to the show. This cannot be allowed to continue, the
days of “it’s not my job” are long gone, and the person that doesn’t speak up
about potential problems is just as guilty as the person that ignored them.
