Scaffolding Collapse Kills One, Injures 19 At Linkin Park Concert

Currently trotting the globe in support of their latest studio album, this year’s Living Things, which includes a major slot at next year’s sold out Soundwave Festival as well as a number of Sidewaves shows; Linkin Park were performing in Capetown, South Africa last Wednesday when their concert was struck by tragedy.

One woman was killed and 19 others injured after scaffolding collapsed just outside the Green Point stadium where the rock band where scheduled to perform, reports the BBC.

Strong high winds apparently blew down the temporary scaffolding just before the concert was set to start, and despite the fatality and injuries, the concert went ahead, with the members of Linkin Park not learning about the incident until afterwards.

The band have issued a statement expressing “deep sadness and concern for those injured and our heartfelt condolences to the family of the fan who died.”

The temporary scaffolding belonged to sports drink company Lucozade, who had erected an advertising tower in the parking area outside of the venue when the high winds blew the billboard and scaffolding down, toppling onto concertgoers.“We express deep sadness and concern for those injured and our heartfelt condolences to the family of the fan who died.”

Additionally, Linkin Park have emphasised they have no association with the presence of Lucozade, stating: “Though we have had no relationship with the sponsor or the entity responsible for erecting the structure, we take the safety of our fans very seriously and our thoughts are with all of those who were affected by this tragedy.”

The authorities are yet to reveal the identity of the woman who was killed. Kylie Hatton, a spokeswoman for the city of Cape Town, issued a statement saying that of the 19 people who suffered injuries 12 remained hospitalised and police were investigating the accident.

According to South African news outlet News24, Ms. Hatton had confirmed the structure had been certified as safe before the Linkin Park show but that investigators would be overseeing the approval process for any inconsistencies.

Meanwhile, as The New York Times reports, GlaxoSmithKline, the parent company of Lucozade, put a statement on Twitter expressing “extreme sadness about the accident last night.”

This latest incident at Linkin Park’s concert in South Africa will be felt particularly hard by the band’s tour manager, Jim Digby. His organisation, the Event Safety Alliance, has been urging the concert industry to adopt national standards for stage construction and emergency procedures during bad weather and other conditions, reports The New York Times.“Though we have had no relationship with the sponsor or the entity responsible for erecting the structure, we take the safety of our fans very seriously…”

The Linkin Park collapse is the latest in a series of dreadful accidents that have occurred at concerts this year.

Radiohead’s drum technician, Scott Johnson, was killed by a stage collapse at their show in Toronto, Canada which injured several others. Echoing the crisis at the Ottawa Blues Festival last May, where a stage crumbled just 20 minutes into a performance by Cheap Trick.

Two similarly grand accidents occurred in the US, who like Canada don’t have regulated safety guidelines for stage construction, in the last year – including a stage collapse at an Indiana Music Festival that killed five last August, and a homecoming show by The Flaming Lips in which their screens and equipment came crashing down pre-show.

The Radiohead stage collapse in fact prompted a major commission into investigating the four companies, including concert promoter Live Nation, into the safety guidelines and practises of their stage and scaffolding constructions.

Unlike Australia’s ‘Safety Guidelines For The Entertainment Industry’ which provides occupational healthy and safety rules developed by Live Performance Australia, some concert organisers in other countries (Canada and the US in particular) have no such regulated guidelines, which means the responsibility falls to the artist and its promoter to ensure their performance site is safe.

Meanwhile, Linkin Park will continue with their world tour, playing Johannesburg this weekend before returning to America ahead of their appearance down under for Soundwave, and two special Sidewaves shows in Sydney and Melbourne in February 2013.