Sometimes the show Cant Go On....
Camrose Alberta..August 1 2009
Nightmare at 6pm MT Saturday….Like in the film, “The Mummy”, a fast moving brown cloud raced from the Northwest toward the stage at The Big Valley Jamboree.
Billy Currington was saying thanks and the warning was going to seek shelter. The RCMP had alerted the security a few minutes before.
The storm hit with winds estimated at 100 mph.
The speaker columns seem to go first but it all happened at light speed.
I saw the cloud and told the people I was with to RUN. I almost made it to shelter when the wind hit and lifted me off me feet..I caught myself mid fall…it was liked a sandblaster hitting you….
The dirt,wind,then the rain. It was all so fast.
The stage had about 100 people on it…about average.. Billy Currington was wrapping up and Kevin Costners people were in pre show mode.
One of the stage guests was Donna Moore. A mother of two from a small Alberta town east of Edmonton. She was on some bleachers where contest winners and vips sit. She was crushed to death by the falling speakers and stage. Others were trapped. Billy Currington was hit in the head by something airborne. His bass player bloodied and both went to the hospital. ( they are ok)…
Some of Costner’s band were hurt and taken to the hospital..overall over 20 transported. 75 injured…2 remained critical late Sunday. One death.
The pictures look worse than it was. The storm was a punch in the gut. Enough to do the damage.
A few weeks now maybe months I wrote here that some standards for weather needed to be adopted after the Kenny Chesney singing in the rain Texas show. That should have never taken place!!
The show must go on syndrome is very strong. And very understandable. I have several emails from industry people asking about my safety and mentioning similar concerns about shows they were in where weather showed up.
Darryl Worley was hit by flying stage gear a month or so ago in a similar storm in the upper Midwest. He had a concussion,stiches and lived to play another day.
The public safety people MUST make these unpopular calls. It cant be anyone else.
The Police have radio and get instant storm data and damage and course reports. As in this case the RCMP made the alert….but nothing is instant…at these events,football games someone needs to hit the alert SIREN! IF one had gone off the extra minute would have helped…
The folks at Blg Valley did their best….but you have to operate in a bigger picture that the Fire and Police work from. Did the RCMP know of the wind shear that closed the airport 40 miles away? Did they know of those power outages and building damage reports. Were there radios quiet? I drove into that damage area has I left the grounds a few hours later.
Coordination….sharing of storm reports….a Pre-Plan….. Look at that crazy flood concert in Michigan where the river came up fast and drowned thousands of cars…no coordination..no plan. No passing along of information between the public safety people to the concert promoters.
Now someone has died in all this….do we need to one of our stars before some industry group adopts some procedures that everyone follows?
You need a plan folks….the show is called by the POLICE! They keep up with it…while they guard the city….They need to know for the PUBLIC SAFETY….They need to sound the alarm with car /trucks sirens and pas if nothing else is available…designated shelters need to be located. You need an industry plan pushed by the artists if necessary…
This is getting worse….Billy and others could have easily been killed. A fan was tragically…Wake Up Music Row…..You need a universal plan…..
I couldn't have said it better! It's a terrible thing that Ms. Moore lost her life, we do not need to lose any more lives while trying to enjoy our favorite musicians. Thank GOD that no more lives were lost, we all too often lose our best talents to carelessness, PLEASE. PLEASE people, do something to prevent this from happening in the future!
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