Last Updated on March 13, 2024 by Nasir Hanif
Live concerts are an integral element of a musician’s career. This is especially true in the world of classic rock. For fans, they get a taste of the live music experience, which goes beyond just casual listening. However, concerts have the potential to be a source of danger and violence. They are prone to accidents because they bring together a diverse range of individuals, all with varying behaviors, not to mention most being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
At any concert, there’s the chance that things may erupt into utter pandemonium. The worst of these end in numerous deaths. Heavy metal may also refer to intense feelings and aggression. Concert accidents, however, are generally caused by someone’s aggressive conduct. Some are merely the result of uncontrollable accidents.
Rather than the music, these notorious concerts are remembered for the mayhem and devastation that occurred during them.
Personal injury can happen anywhere, so it’s important that if you suffer injury to document everything and take your case to an attorney. If it happened at Woodstock, then it would be in New York, so you could enlist the services of a personal injury attorney nyc. The best attorneys will know the specific laws of their area, so it’s best to talk to one who specializes in a specific state.
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Guns N’ Roses/Metallica Tour (1992)
It was going to be an unforgettable summer with a Guns N’ Roses and Metallica stadium tour, two of the most popular bands worldwide at that moment in time. Although it was initially thought of as the perfect combo, it ended badly. Nirvana was even a name being thrown around to join the bill, but Kurt Cobain refused. The tour would come to an end after just eight dates.
Metallica’s James Hetfield’s burn injuries, from standing on top of a fireworks cannon, were the reason for the band’s cancellation of their performance that day. Instead of stepping in after this, Guns N’ Roses decided to test the patience of fans by arriving late to the performance. To make matters worse, frontman Axl Rose claimed to have a sore throat, so the band cut things short. The usually calm Canadian crowd was pushed to breaking point when they reacted by initiating a riot, which resulted in looting, fires, arrests, and damages totaling around $500,000. Due to the chaos, Guns N’ Roses were permanently barred from performing at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
Woodstock 1999
The San Francisco Chronicle dubbed the notorious Woodstock ’99 music event “The Day the Music Died,” characterizing the mayhem that ensued in what was a replica of the original Woodstock of 1969, which was commemorating its 30th anniversary.
As the closing performance, they featured a historic lineup of artists, ranging from James Brown to Moby and Kid Rock to Ice Cube. It was a three-day festival that took place at a former airfield near Rome, New York. Instead of making it about the music, it was used as a revenue-making endeavor. Under summer weather of more than 100 degrees, the crowd couldn’t keep their composure, especially since water costs a gouging $5 per bottle. Woodstock 1999 was a total disaster. Concertgoers rioted, looted, stole money from ATMs, and smashed water fountains, resulting in a huge mud hole in the center of the arena. Over 1,000 people were wounded, and more than 40 people were arrested. There was even a gang rape that occurred in the midst of the crowd during Limp Bizkit’s performance. Fortunately, no one was killed, but music festivals suffered greatly on that day.
Altamont Speedway Free Festival 1969
During the height of the rock n’ roll era, it was one of the most violent rock concerts in United States history. The Altamont Speedway Free Festival was billed as the “Woodstock of the West.”
As a reaction to critics who said the Rolling Stones were being greedy with their high ticket prices, the band scheduled a free performance in San Francisco to conclude their 1969 American tour. Over 300,000 people flocked to California in December 1969 for the free show. The Rolling Stones and their team made the mistake of hiring the Hells Angels as security guards, who were reportedly only paid with $500 in free beer. The performance concluded with three sad unintentional fatalities, two of which were caused by a hit-and-run automobile accident and one by drowning in an irrigation canal. There was also one murder, which claimed the life of 18-year-old Meredith Hunter, who was in the crowd for the Rolling Stones and drew a pistol. A Hells Angel stabbed him to death. Everything was taped and later included in the documentary “Gimme Shelter” from 1970.
