MSN Music Blog - Reverb

Radiohead Stage Collapse

Crew member killed, several more injured in Toronto

By percy thrillington Jun 18, 2012 2:31PM
In what is rapidly becoming a kind of epidemic (after recent tragedies in Indiana, Ottawa and Belgium), another stage collapse occurred this weekend, this time in Toronto, shortly before a Radiohead concert was about to begin. Drum tech Scott Johnson was killed by the falling scaffold, and three other crew members were injured, one seriously. The concert was cancelled and the band posted a statement on its website that read:

"We have all been shattered by the loss of Scott Johnson, our friend and colleague. He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny; a highly skilled and valued member of our great road crew. We will miss him very much. Our thoughts and love are with Scott's family and all those close to him."

CNN's report on the accident follows the jump.
A drum technician for the band Radiohead died when overhanging metalwork crashed onto a stage in a Toronto park, the band's representative confirmed Sunday.
The incident occurred about 4 p.m. Saturday, an hour before spectators were set to begin arriving for the concert by Radiohead, an alternative rock group.
Several people were on the stage at the time, preparing for the show, when the scaffold-like structure collapsed from about 50 feet overhead, sending crew members fleeing.
Authorities said Saturday that one man was pinned and killed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Sunday, the representative identified the man as Scott Johnson, a drum tech for the band. Drum techs are responsible for a band's drums and other percussion equipment.
Radiohead issued a statement Sunday saying the band is "shattered" by Johnson's loss.
"He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny; a highly skilled and valued member of our great road crew. We will miss him very much," the statement said.
Another man who suffered serious injuries was taken to a Toronto hospital, but authorities said Saturday that his head injury was not life-threatening. Two other men with minor injuries were assessed and released.
Authorities were investigating how the collapse occurred. The sold-out Radiohead show was canceled, with production company Live Nation Entertainment citing "unforeseen circumstances."
The Toronto incident comes 10 months after metal scaffolding supporting stage lights fell onto a crowd of fans and workers as a storm swept through the Indiana State Fair right before the band Sugarland was to perform.
Seven died and more than 40 were injured. In February, the Indiana Department of Labor announced penalties totaling $80,800 following a worker safety investigation into the collapse.
There was no bad weather or storm in the Toronto area at the time of the collapse, police Constable Harrison Ford said.
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