According to ABC affiliate KSTP, three people were injured last night (Wednesday, August 12) during THEORY OF A DEADMAN‘s concert at the First Avenue club in Minneapolis when a large portion of the venue’s ceiling came crashing to the floor.
The fire department says a 30-by-30-foot section of the ceiling collapsed over the balcony and DJ booth at the back of the dance floor about 10 p.m. while THEORY OF A DEADMAN was performing. The collapse sent the band running from the stage and forced the evacuation of about 750 fans.
Two of the three injured fans were taken to a local hospital, but none of the injuries are said to be life-threatening.
A source told KSTP the collapse may have been caused by a leaky pipe. The leak may have been accelerated by vibrations from the concert, causing water to build up above the ceiling, which then fell to the floor.
Concertgoer Ben Strumberger told NBC News he was standing in front of the soundboard when he felt a railing begin to shake.
“The band quit playing and everyone turned around,” he said. “There was a ceiling piece laying on the floor.
Witnesses told NBC affiliate station KARE that they had seen smoke and the sprinklers go off in the rear of the venue before parts of the ceiling fell.
“There was, like, a smog throughout the whole building,” Tess Brennan told KARE. “We thought maybe it was weed, maybe it was cigarette smoke then the sprinklers came on and everything just fell down.”
Members of local band 3 PILL MORNING, who attended last night’s show, captured part of the incident on video. You can see their Instagram post below, as well as a news report from KSTP.
A video posted by 3 Pill Morning (@3pillmorning) on Aug 12, 2015 at 8:39pm PDT
Fonte: Blabbermouth.net