Music’s Worst Concert Accidents and Tragedies
The possibility for danger always lurks whenever large groups of people get together, and that's especially true at concerts and festivals.
Whenever such issues have unfortunately occurred at concerts, particularly in rock's earlier days, they were taken as a sign that the music was the cause of society's ills. However, closer inspection of the details of each event often uncovers a lot more nuance.
In many cases, the organizers didn't do enough to ensure the well-being of the concertgoers, either because they underestimated the size of the crowd and didn't provide enough security or they didn't take steps to secure an outdoor stage in bad weather. The worst case of negligence took place in 2003, when 100 people were killed at a Great White concert as pyrotechnics set off during the opening number ignited soundproofing foam on the ceiling, sending a West Warwick, R.I. club ablaze within minutes. In the aftermath, it was determined that Great White's manager and the two owners of the club were criminally responsible for the deaths. A park in memory of the victims was erected on the site of the tragedy.
Then there was one particular horror that nobody could have foreseen, where former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was killed onstage shortly after taking the stage with Damageplan. The above gallery also covers those occasions were fans didn't use their best judgment and reacted to the music with pointless violence, secure in the anonymity of a large crowd.