Three people were hospitalized and thousands fled in horror as the stage collapsed 20 minutes in to a Cheap Trick performance at the Ottawa Blues Festival in Canada over the weekend. A thunderstorm rolled in to the area and saw the stage canopy literally fall backwards and crash to the ground as crew and band members were knocked to their feet as they scrambled to safety. Posting on their Facebook page, the band said “Severe weather hit the stage as Cheap Trick was performing at the Ottawa Bluesfest tonight. The stage blew down and collapsed. Everyone is shaken up but band and crew are all fine. Cheap Trick hopes that everyone who attended the show is also ok.”
A spokesperson for Ottawa Fire Services said that three people were hospitalised and a further eight treated at the scene for minor injuries. Photos of the aftermath reveal how fortunate the event, which has been running since 1994, was lucky not to have experienced a fatality. Dramatic photos posted on the internet and Youtube footage after the event show the stage, which was several stories high, collapsing in a matter of seconds as it bore the brunt of the thunderstorm and the twisted shards of metal and scattered electrical and sound equipment in the aftermath of the event. Check out Youtube footage of the stage collapse here:
