Ceiling Collapse at Theory of a Deadman Concert Injures Three at Legendary 'Purple Rain' Nightclub

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Aug 13, 2015

Three concertgoers were sent to hospital last night (August 12) after part of the ceiling at famed Minneapolis, MN nightclub First Avenue fell on them during a performance from BC rock group Theory of a Deadman.

According to the Minneapolis Fire Department, a 30-by-30-foot chunk of the ceiling came tumbling down around 10 p.m. local time, about three songs into Theory of a Deadman's set. The section was located at the back of the club, by the DJ booth. The show was halted immediately, with the building's roughly 1,000 attendees evacuated onto the streets of downtown Minneapolis.

"A large portion of the ceiling fell and took out water pipes with it," First Avenue general manager Nate Kranz told the Star Tribune newspaper. "We have no idea why or how it happened. We won't know anything about this until tomorrow. It was a terrible surprise."

Kranz confirmed that the club had recently installed a new lighting rig above the stage, but with that being at the opposite end of the room, that does not appear to have been a factor in the collapse.

Concertgoer Todd Johnson reported that he had seen part of the ceiling come crashing down, and that water was streaming from the ceiling. Fellow attendee Jennifer Johnson said a second, much larger section of the ceiling came down shortly thereafter, leading parts of the audience to start screaming.

You can see an Instagram user's video of the terrifying club incident down below, as well as a ABC News report about the incident. The status of the three injured attendees has not been clarified.

Theory of a Deadman have not yet addressed last night's incident.

First Avenue opened in 1970 and has played host to countless acts over the years, from Tina Turner and U2 to modern pop acts like Jessie J. It's also famous for being the club Prince used in his 1984 feature film, Purple Rain.

A Miguel show had been scheduled to take place at First Avenue on Saturday (August 15), but the venue may be forced to move the sold-out concert.
 



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