A staging structure in Charlotte, North Carolina collapsed due to circumstances that are still under dispute on Saturday, 10 August. The event, part of the American Legion’s World Series concerts was set to be the platform for MercyMe, a popular Christian Band in the region, to perform in front of more than 10 000 fans leading up the famous World Series baseball tournament that runs from 16 to 20 August in Shelby, North Carolina.
The dispute is whether shoddy construction or bad weather was the cause of the stage collapse at the Cleveland County fairgrounds, the chosen venue for the event. The collapse occurred at about 4pm during the band’s sound check with no reported injuries. The audience had not yet arrived.
Eddie Holbrook, co-chair of the local American Legion World Series committee comments: “We knew we were going to get what looked like scattered showers and nothing real bad,’ Holbrook said. “Then all of a sudden, within a five-minute span, the winds shifted and immediately there was a severe weather storm alert.’
Despite L&N Productions, the company that built the stage, being highly reputable, others have pointed blame at the production company as it has been alleged that the structure fell well before the 70mph storm hit. Other irregularities have also been claimed such as the genies lacking outriggers, truck straps being employed to secure certain parts of the structure and the roof being picked incorrectly with spansets.
Incidents like this might well be good cause for our local production companies to reassess their safety practices and ensure they are following adequate safety guidelines.