Roof Collapse At Morbid Angel Show; Another Safety Reminder

Severe weather stretched out across the U.S. yesterday and into the evening and overnight hours. In Belvidere, Illinois a roof collapsed during a concert featuring metal bands including Morbid Angel. The show was taking place at the Apollo Theatre and it was crowded. The venue is old and was built in the 1920s.

Morbid Angel launched the "United States of Terror" tour to celebrate 40 years as a band. Also on the tour are Crypta, Revocation and Skeletal Remains. The tour was announced back in November and does have a scheduled stop tonight in Joliet, IL. The tour is coming to Cincinnati Friday night.

After weather warnings were issued, the show was paused for 30 minutes. Not long after, the roof collapsed, killing one person and injuring many more. The New York Times is reporting that 28 people are hospitalized from the incident and some of those have very serious injuries. Apparently folks were told to move into another area of the venue away from the stage. Those that did not move were hit when the roof collapsed and debris fell. 

It wasn't just the roof collapse either. The front awning of the Apollo collapsed plus there were electrical fires and gas leaks around the area too. This meant first responders were already very busy with the roof caved in at the concert.

One of the first videos from the collapsed popped up on Twitter pretty quickly. You can see folks moving debris and the big hole the high winds caused.

WATCH: Roof collapses during Morbid Angel concert in Belvidere, Illinois. Reports of multiple victims pic.twitter.com/iDGF09NA4A

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) April 1, 2023

ABC 7 News from Chicago has more videos from the collapse:

The roof of the Apollo Theatre collapsed during a sold-out concert, leaving at least 1 person dead and 28 others injured. https://t.co/tfAFAlKCEP

— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) April 1, 2023

This is yet another reminder to pay attention to your surroundings during shows, especially indoor events such as the Apollo Theatre. Know where your entrances and exits are and understand how to navigate away from crowds. Keep your group together, stay away from tightly packed pits that could become violent and causing crushing and heed warnings if issued by officials.

Comments

[Him]

Sad that there was a loss of life. Tragic. Thankfully, more people weren't killed. Those pictures and videos are amazing. The potential for much worse was there.

And you hit all the right notes, Allyson. Preparing to rock out and being prepared are good ideas, no matter the venue.

[Metalboy!]

Yes, excellent reporting, Allyson.

Thing is, the whole thing could have been avoided.

They knew it was going to be bad and actually contemplated cancelling the event but decided to go ahead with it anyway!