Top 10 Worst Concert Accidents

When you think of a concert, what comes to mind? Music, dancing, friends and yummy food, right? Concerts are fun, recreational activities. Not much can go wrong at a concert, right? Wrong. A lot can go wrong.

Think about it. There’s a large, unwieldy crowd of people. Everyone is extremely passionate about the music. People are often pushing to get closer to the front, disregarding how their actions are affecting the people around them. Large crowds of people gathered in a confined space with music at a blaring volume can result in disaster. On top of that, concerts require an enormous amount of electrical power that must be handled with the utmost caution.

When you consider other elements, such as intense weather conditions, and the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, it is actually quite surprising that concert accidents are not more common. Concerts can be dangerous business. It may be a bit shocking, but we have compiled a list of the top 10 most tragic concert accidents of all time.

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10. David Cassidy

On May 26, 1974, teen heartthrob David Cassidy performed at the White City Stadium in England. He had announced that this tour would be his last, so his teenaged fan base was crazier and more excited than ever.

In addition to his solo singing career, Cassidy was also well known for his acting role on the ABC show The Patridge Family.

At the White City show, 14-year-old Bernadette Whelan was carried out of the concert in a coma. She was wearing platform shoes, and was toppled by a crowd of people rushing toward the stage. She was trampled on and suffocated by crazed fans. Bernadette died from her injuries at the hospital on May 30th.

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9. A1

British pop group A1 certainly were not expecting such an enormous turnout at their 2001 concert in Jakarta’s Taman Anggrek shopping center. Band members included Mark Read, Ben Adams, Christian Ingebrigtsen and Paul Marazzi. They were on their Asian tour, and made many in-store appearances in shopping malls.

At this particular gig, about 1,500 fans showed up. Mostly girls, the fans flocked to the shopping center to hear the band perform in a third-floor music store. The band performed without a stage.

The large crowd was packed into a space much too small for them. Overly excited, fans proceeded to stampede toward the stage. Four teenage girls tripped during the stampede, and were crushed to death underfoot.

Two other girls were critically injured, and the four singers were forced to evacuate the venue, because the crowd had grown out of control. ABC News reported that Sony Music managing director Susanto Haryono told a news conference, “The band is, at this point, in an extremely shocked condition.”

The band was devastated over the incident, and ended up cancelling the last leg of their Asian tour.

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8. Sugarland

On August 13, 2011, country duo Sugarland took the stage to perform at the Indiana State Fair. On this summer evening, the weather was not cooperating with them, and they had to delay their show several times due to rain. Eventually, they decided to play through the rain.

High winds during the storm caused the stage framework to collapse. It fell into the audience, killing seven fans. At least 45 people were transported to area hospitals after the metal structure fell into the crowd. Band members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush were not onstage during the incident.

The Indiana State Fair cancelled all fair activities that were planned for the following day, as officials began an investigation into the incident.

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7. Michael Jackson

During his Dangerous tour, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, put on a show that ended with nearly 500 fans being taken to the hospital. The concert took place in Munich, at the Munich Olympic Stadium on June 27, 1992.

The heat in the stadium was overwhelming, and fans started dropping one by one. Fortunately, nobody died. Many came close, as the heat in the arena caused many to suffer from heat stroke.

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6. Pearl Jam

On Friday, June 30, 2000, Pearl Jam performed at Denmark's Roskilde Festival. Approximately 50,000 fans anxiously waited to hear the band perform. Once the music began, fans went crazy.

As with most concerts, fans standing at the back always want to get closer to the band. That is exactly what happened here. Fans at the back began relentlessly pushing forward. They started a mosh pit in the crowd. Eight young men, ages 17 to 26, were trapped in the mosh pit and suffocated to death. A ninth man died in a hospital five days later.

The Rolling Stone reported that 19-year-old fan Tomas Miller said, “It was tight even before the music started, people were stumbling left and right. Half an hour in, I knew it was life and death. I couldn’t lift my arms. It was difficult to breathe. I lifted my head to feel clean air. I was scared for my life.”

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5. The Who

Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum was the site of a tragedy that resulted in eleven deaths. On December 3, 1979, British rock group The Who played for a crowd of 18,500 fans.

Concert seating was first-come, first-served. This resulted in people aggressively rushing toward the front of the entrance, in hopes of getting a spot close to the band. Fans heard the band tuning up their instruments, and thought that the concert was starting. A tidal wave of people stampeded through the entrance gates and swarmed the stage. Security and police were there when the incident occurred, but were physically unable to put a stop to the destructive swarms of people. The stampede crushed 11 fans to death.

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4. Love Parade

The Love Parade is an annual electronic music festival that takes place in Duisburg, Germany. In 2010, it was a death site. 1.4 million fans showed up to a venue that was estimated to be able to handle 300,000 people.

Festival officials made a fatal mistake when they decided to have one singular entrance and exit point for the entire festival. This point was in a tunnel. Panic broke out among fans after the end of the tunnel was closed. The venue became too full, and people were unable to escape.

Several people tried to escape the forceful crowd by climbing up a steep metal stairway on a ramp at the front of the tunnel. They failed and fell into the crowd. The incident resulted in 21 deaths and 500 people injured.

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3. Great White

On February 20, 2003, 80’s metal band Great White performed at the Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. During the show’s opening song, disaster struck. The band’s road manager Daniel Biechele, set off the pyrotechnics. He followed the appropriate procedure, but sparks from the pyrotechnics suddenly enflamed the foam used for the soundproofed ceiling of the venue. Flames quickly spread throughout the venue. Fans desperately tried to escape, but the flames took 100 lives, and brought serious injuries to 200 other people.

On February 7, 2013, former Great White leader Jack Russell performed a benefit concert to mark the anniversary of the catastrophe. Proceeds of the concert went to the victims’ families.

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2. Burn

Hardcore American band Burn performed at Bangkok’s Santika nightclub on January 1, 2009. Flames spread throughout the club and claimed 100 lives.

To prevent people from leaving without paying their bills, doors of the venue were welded shut. During the show, fireworks were set off as a part of the performance. This was not a wise move, as the venue was a very small, confined area. Fans desperately tried to escape to the emergency exits, only to find out that they were trapped inside. To add fuel to the fire, there was only one fire extinguisher in the entire place.

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1. Callejeros

Perhaps the most devastating concert disaster in history occurred while rock band Callejeros performed in Argentina in 2004. They played at the Republica Cromagnon club, which had a capacity of 2,000 people. Over 4,000 people showed up for the oversold event.

In addition to the club being filled beyond its capacity, fire exits were locked to prevent people from sneaking in. A member of the audience lit a small firework that released sparks toward the ceiling. There was a plastic net that held the sound panels, which was ignited by the firework. The entire roof was engulfed by the flames, and soon collapsed. The fire took 194 lives.

Members of Callejeros were put on trial because of the incident. They were each sentenced to 11 years in prison.