Austin Music Source

By egoiste

March 19, 2011 3:39 AM | Link to this

They were wonderful sports about it and did a speedy run through many of their hits. It was a fun show and I’m glad to hear those people are okay.

By Raymond

March 19, 2011 5:04 AM | Link to this

WOW…..That could have easily turned into an ugly situation.

By Jo

March 19, 2011 6:28 AM | Link to this

I am glad they are ok but maybe this is a warning bell that something needs to be done to improve safety at S by SW. It is out of control downtown. I saw bicyclist raiding the wrong way on Congress. Countless people stopping in the middle of intersections blocking cross street traffic, Groups of people walking People talking on cell phones and walking in cross walks that were already red. One almost go clipped when she walked against red on the east frontage road of 35. I saw no policemen. Zero. I am glad for the visitors. They bring clean industry but Austin police and the ciy had a year to prepare for these crowds and they have done no planning. Would someone tell Marc Ott to read the Saturday morning paper and tell him about this incidnet. It is the weekend and we already know from the Gov Mansion incident he does not read the paper or listen to news ont he weekend.

By Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

March 19, 2011 8:45 AM | Link to this

OCD would be a good name for a band.

By Blah

March 19, 2011 9:48 AM | Link to this

Apparently it lived up to its name: BOOM!

By jimmy

March 19, 2011 10:14 AM | Link to this

somebody is going to get sued

By Rob Eberhardt

March 19, 2011 10:21 AM | Link to this

This story is unbelievable. I was only at Stubb’s for the first two bands, but the camera boom was having major problems then too - it kept falling and almost hitting people. I can’t believe they didn’t take it down after it was apparent that they were putting people at serious risk of injury.

By Okay?

March 19, 2011 11:49 AM | Link to this

Those people were bleeding from the head and will be stuck with an outrageous medical bill for an expensive ambulance ride. That hardly makes them “ok”. And they completely missed the show.

By Jennifer Fuller

March 19, 2011 11:55 AM | Link to this

We were at Stubbs last night from 7:30 p.m. through the OMD concert. We were standing in an area of perfect view of the camera and watched amateaur operators work it for the night. They lowered it into a crowded area no less than 8 times while we were standing there to fix it. The operator would jump over the fence fixing this and that, and then rasie it back up. Watching the camera most of the night as it swooped way to close to the crowd, we knew it was an accident waiting to happen. People were jumping up and could almost grab the wires. When the camera finally tilted over, we were 10 feet from it. It was definietly too low. Whoever was in charge of the safety of this area was an idiot. I am glad the injuries are non life threatening. It could have been so much worse.

By steve c.

March 19, 2011 1:21 PM | Link to this

was there from 8:30 - 11:30 and was also concerned about the safety factor with the boom, which was being examined by the operators too many times to count; it was being swung too freely and too low, and cables were accessible to the fans; saw one guy in the middle of the crowd grab at the cables easily as the camera was passing overhead.

By Angela Coneflower

March 19, 2011 1:48 PM | Link to this

So far other reports have been vague, too simple, and reporting as if it was not such a big deal. My friend and I were about five feet from where the boom fell. The incident was shocking actually. The extended camera boom had been hovering over the crowd, back and forth before the show started. The amazing thing is we just trusted by default that the boom was secure. My friend and I had actually just been noticing the boom and how interesting it was, like a giant robot arm extending above us. I actually took pictures of it to impress my gadget-obsessed grandfather with images of modern photographic technology. Little did I know…the cameramen or engineers had been repairing or securing the boom during the previous opening act, I read in another article last night. This kind of bothers me; if this is true, they should have attempted to clear the area between sets, while testing the movement of the boom instead of testing it over the crowd as they reconvened for OMD! Even so, the accident could still have occurred. The testing ground just seems like a huge risk, obviously. Post incident, after the EMS arrived and the crowd had cleared a bit, I walked over to look at the base of the boom/crane to find it was bent and toppled over. The base looked like it was probably too small for the amount of length the techs were trying to extend the camera. There must have been a stress point that allowed this huge piece of metal along with a large camera to just fall right into the crowd!

OMD had just begun the set when the boom fell. There were quick seconds of panic and not knowing. Andy McCluskey and the band stopped right away and went downstage in concern. After just a few seconds, he saw it was serious and announced that immediate help was needed. Some people cleared away, yet several knelt down to the person they were nearest to them who had fallen. Initially it looked like there were five to six people on the ground. Two guys and myself knelt down over one man. They got on either side of him, saying, “Hey man, you are going to be okay. Wake up!”. I hovered over his head. He was knocked out cold. I started to gently repeat, “Hey there, what is your name? What is your name? We are right here. Come back.” He opened his eyes suddenly. I asked him again. He said, “My name is Tom.” We called him by name and all let him know we were there to help him. We were all encouraging him to move his fingers and toes as best he could, to scan his body and try to feel. I put my hand in his left hand and asked if he could feel my hand. He said yes. It was then we realized he had blood on his hand because he had obviously reached for his head in reaction to pain. We looked under his head and there was profuse bleeding, blood soaked into the gravel. Several photographers began taking pictures and event staff blocked them off with some dispute and a scuffle. About that time the EMS arrived. We let them know right away he was bleeding and they took over from there.

Concerning the photographers, I don’t fault them! Those guys were close already. They were standing right there as well, hoping to catch fancy shots of OMD, not a scary accident. They could have been hit too. There were complaints by tweeters about the photographers, yet what I saw is they were in awe and concerned. Of course they would react by wanting to cover and archive this very serious incident. Other people were obviously helping; and taking pictures might be the photographer’s way of helping the situation, for a variety of (mostly legal) reasons. Truthfully, again - that boom could have fallen on any one of us standing there in the crowd stage right. I would want as much coverage as possible of the events before and right after.

Concerned fans waited nearby to see how the injured were doing. There was not gawking. It was genuine concern. People started to disperse after a while. Two injured fans were eventually carried out on stretchers. The crowd cheered as “Tom” was carried out on a stretcher waved his arms up in the air to let people know he was moving. The other fan was much more low key, hopefully doing just as well, though the expression was definitely not as sure. Two others were slowly escorted up the hill by EMTs. One girl looked confused and like she had a concussion. She wasn’t sure what had happened. The bars remained open and many people waited around wondering if OMD were still going to play. Doubtful, yet not impossible.

Soon, Andy came to the front of the stage. He was cordial and respectful, expressing apologies and concern. He said, “It looks like everyone is going to be okay, so we are going to go ahead here with the show.” He dedicated the show to those injured, beginning the set with “Messages”. The crowd were surprised yet also felt a kind of comradery. There was something unsaid where the crowd agreed it was the right thing to do, almost a necessity if they were willing, for OMD to go ahead and make some music. We were about to be led by the members of OMD into further bonding and healing with sound and rhythm. OMD played a compassionate set. They made a magnificent performance and rocked the house in an extra special way. It was heavy and everyone felt it. My friend and I enjoyed the set with appreciation and awe…a feeling of gratefulness and a necessity to dance some healing energy into the air. From time to time we looked over at each other with bright knowing eyes…elated at being absorbed by the sounds of Andy’s raw OMD bass lines, serenading vocal range, and Paul Humphrey’s catchy, mesmerizing keyboard riffs, the amazing synth-pop drum style of the drummer on real drums and yes a real saxophone player too! It was an authentic experience…and we were glad to both be standing there with each other safe. After last night those bouncing, flowing, soulful OMD synth pop songs about love and life and human feeling are more real, enlivening, painful and meaningful…yet joyfully healing to me than they were when I first bonded with them at the age of fourteen.

I am hoping those injured are on their way to recovery. I send them bounds of prayers and well wishes. I hope the local media either does (or is allowed to) fully report on the accident and brings the public updates as to the condition of the injured and the follow up on how and why this happened and what is being done to make sure it does not happen again! I express concern for the crew, engineers, and entertainment industry staff associated with Stubb’s and SXSW who surely must be quite uncomfortable, rightly so, this morning. I hope this incident and many of the others I have seen during this year of SXSW are taken as serious warnings to SXSW and City of Austin planners to be more prepared. Having grown up in Austin, I have never seen this many people, ever before, descend on this city. It’s exciting, wonderful in some ways, worrisome in others; and yet has probably taken locals and organizers by a complete surprise, like something large and heavy just instantly, landed on their heads - with force.

By Catfish

March 19, 2011 6:10 PM | Link to this

Drunken brawls, FREE BEER, injured people. Time to END this baccanal. The socialist rationed health care system can’t handle this brawl. THOUSANDS of people broke down the fences to a “free” concert at Auditorium Shores. What if the had been hurt? The STATE, ie, you and ME, would have had to pay for these people that don’t pay TAXES! No. The money the capitalists make off the foreigners won’t PAY for this. Let them go to Mexico or Tijauana or whatever. Or move the whole party out to the F1 track. That’s what it is there for.

By From Sane Austin

March 19, 2011 6:18 PM | Link to this

O Far out man! Mayhem, drugs, alkyhol, party! The World’s, America’s Institutions are failing, just keep partying man! ‘Move along people, nothing to see…’

By Dr Dave

March 19, 2011 6:53 PM | Link to this

it’s unfortunate that SXSW has something like this happen, but not surprising at all. Having worked many years as an event & stage manager I was shocked and disappointed at the lack of professionalism exhibited when I worked a few events in SXSW last year and this year. With a very few exceptions many the so called production crews I have worked with during SXSW were clueless and incompetent. Perhaps it is time for SXSW to have some sort of safety review staff for the various venues around town. I wish a speedy recovery to all those injured.

By Kimbie

March 19, 2011 6:57 PM | Link to this

The legs of the should have been sandbagged and there should have been enough counter-balancing weight on the operating end of the jib to keep it from swooping. It takes an incredible amount of weight to do this, especially on the sloping hill at Stubb’s. If it were set up properly, everyone would have seen the weights and sandbags.

By dorothy

March 19, 2011 10:30 PM | Link to this

Time to hire a local lawyer.

By Barry

March 21, 2011 9:02 AM | Link to this

Actually the guy who got it the worst is a criminal defense attorney in Austin.

By John Z

March 22, 2011 7:41 PM | Link to this

I was there at 8:30 and made a comment to the operators, though it probably came off a bit flip, that I couldn’t imagine that there would be any good shots with the way they were swinging the boom so swiftly.

I was right next to my brother in law, one that was taken away by stretcher, and after calling out for medical attention and being sure it was given I spoke to the operators and tried to get them to comment on their expreience and what it was that they were actually doing. They just looked at me like deers in headlights.

They were definitely not a professional crew.