Concerts are all about the music and vibe. People of all ages attend concerts because they want to feel good in a safe environment. Party and fun, what could go wrong? While many concerts are successful and don’t feature any incidents, there’s always room for the unexpected.
Some concerts remained in history as tragedies. Not the type of tragedy you would get from an oil spill or an extinct species, but the type of tragedy that dehumanizes people. Here are a few concerts that are mainly remembered for the bad, rather than the good.
Great White, USA, 2003
Great White got ready for an exciting, hard rock concert in a nightclub with a maximum capacity of 250 people. However, more than 400 people were caught in the incident, including the band and staff. The set reached an end as soon as the foam insulation inside the club caught fire.
Being a highly flammable material, the whole club was on fire, with hundreds of people trying to find a way out. Pretty much everyone sustained some sort of injury, while about 100 attendees were killed in the chaos. Similar tragedies occurred in Argentina, Thailand and Romania.
John Davidson, USA, 1977
This is one of the deadliest fire incidents in the USA. The Beverly Hills Supper Club had quite a few different halls, hosting multiple events at the same time. About 1,000 people were gathered in the main one, with hundreds more hanging around the other halls.
When the fire started, everyone tried to find a way out. Unfortunately, many people died while trying to exit, so they blocked every door with their bodies. More than 160 people died in this fire, with hundreds injured as well.
Love Parade, Germany, 2010
Love Parade drew hundreds of thousands of people every year. This particular time, more than a million people attended, yet the overall capacity for the festival was about 250,000. To reach the festival, attendees had to go through a tunnel.
Unfortunately, people rushing caused a tragedy, with 21 people dying suffocated or squashed in the tunnel. A few others were also injured in the incident. Since that tragic event, security measures at festivals have dramatically improved in Germany.
The Who Tour, USA, 1979
Finding tickets for your favorite band can be tricky, but once you get them, you’re ready to do anything to attend. Is Ticketmaster legit for tickets? Is Viagogo legit? What about Stubhub? Is Stubhub legit? Absolutely! Today, you can get your tickets online, but back in the day, you had to get them in person.
Besides, concerts used to operate on a first-come, first-serve basis, not like today, when you can pick your seats. Hearing the sound check prior to the concert, thousands of people decided to rush in. The incident caused 11 fans to die crushed, with dozens others injured. This heartbreaking event, known as The Who concert disaster, left a lasting impact on both the band and the music industry as a whole.
Damageplan Tour, USA, 2004
The 2004 concert will be remembered as a mass shooting event. Ex-military Nathan Gale was both schizophrenic and paranoid. One of the band members was shot on stage. Soon after the incident, Nathan Gale turned towards the crowd and started shooting.
Three other people were killed and a few others injured before a police officer managed to kill the attacker.
Roskilde Festival, Denmark, 2000
The Roskilde festival is among the biggest in the world. In 2000, while Pearl Jam was on stage, fans tried to make their way closer to the stage, pushing themselves forward. Sadly, nine of them passed away trampled under the crowd.
Altamont Speedway Free Festival, USA, 1969
Rolling Stones ended up performing at this festival on an unusually low stage, causing people to try to come closer. The band hired Hells Angels for protection, but with 300,000 people around, security was a challenge for the feared band.
When one of the concertgoers pulled out a firearm, she was stabbed and killed by the gang. Three other accidental deaths occurred throughout the festival at other acts.
Bottom line
These are some of the worst music tragedies affecting concerts and live shows across the world, which have had a profound and lasting impact on the music industry and concertgoers globally. While the interest for live concerts is still high, authorities and organizers are now doing more to protect the audience, staff and performers.