# Stage Collapses at Pontiac Silverdome



## gafftapegreenia (Jun 22, 2010)

Local stagehands escape Silverdome with their lives - The Oakland Press News > Local News: The best place for news in and around Oakland County

WITH VIDEO: Multiple injuries reported in Silverdome stage collapse - The Oakland Press News > Local News: The best place for news in and around Oakland County

Something was clearly overloaded.


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## masterelectrician2112 (Jun 22, 2010)

Here is PLSN's article on the event.

Up to 10 Workers Injured by A R Rahman Concert Stage Collapse - PLSN


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## chris325 (Jun 22, 2010)

Wow. I didn't even know that they were even using the Silverdome anymore. The place pretty much shut down after the Lions left, except for a few boat/rv shows and a monster truck show (that's gone too.) With Ford Field in operation, I would not be surprised if this was one of the last shows in the Silverdome.


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## ptero (Jun 23, 2010)

The Silverdome is pretty quiet these days. The City of Pontiac sold it off thru an auction of sorts, w/a court ruling about some dispute, around November '09. The new owner continues to book events for the place. Their site shows 2 events between now and early August...

There's not a lot of news about the collapse even locally. It does appear the ground supported roof was from a local staging company. 

Also, no comment intended other than info: with the sale the Local IA contract w/Pontiac for the dome went null/void. Not sure who was crewing the 'in'.


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## Sony (Jun 23, 2010)

Is it just me or does this seem to be happening a lot more frequently lately? It's starting to make me freaked out about stepping on a stage like this. Have people just been slacking on their rigging equipment due to the economy or what?


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## len (Jun 23, 2010)

I'm confused. Were they hanging from the roof of the dome, is it an inflatable roof, did they build out a lower roof for the show? Never been there, just wondering. 

I think my brother-in-law (lives in Michigan) said the new owners paid like $60,000 for the building. Yes, $60K. Oops, it was $583,000, which is still a steal. http://detnews.com/article/20091117/METRO/911170327/Silverdome-sale-price-disappoints

Also, strange how one article says basically workers barely escaped with their lives and another said minor injuries, which leaves the impression that it was nothing serious.


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## derekleffew (Jun 23, 2010)

len said:


> I'm confused. Were they hanging from the roof of the dome, is it an inflatable roof, did they build out a lower roof for the show? Never been there, just wondering. ...


It is my understanding, via various interweb gossip sites, that this is/was a tour: A.R. Rahman Tour Dates | Pollstar - The Concert Hotwire, designed to play arenas and sheds. Since the Silverdome has an air-supported roof, a local company was hired to provide a ground-supported mother grid, from which the touring equipment could be rigged.


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## len (Jun 23, 2010)

Yeah, I saw that after I posted. At least none of the reported injuries were serious.


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## soundman (Jun 23, 2010)

Ive seen a lot of pictures of this and it was a massive rig hung from a not so massive ground support structure. The rig should have been cut down for this show OR a suitable stage should have been brought in (perhaps made out of steel)


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## gafftapegreenia (Jun 23, 2010)

derekleffew said:


> It is my understanding, via various interweb gossip sites, that this is/was a tour: A.R. Rahman Tour Dates | Pollstar - The Concert Hotwire, designed to play arenas and sheds. Since the Silverdome has an air-supported roof, a local company was hired to provide a ground-supported mother grid, from which the touring equipment could be rigged.



That would be correct. It would seem that a ground supported self-climbing rig, supplied by, according to the article, Performance Event Services, was vastly overloaded. Note that this company claims 25 years of experience. Also in one of the pictures there are several road cases marked "PRG", so there is an impression this isn't just some basement rig. My theories as to what happened? Either some guy didn't know the weight of the rig, and spec'd a truss roof he thought would work, OR, they needed to rent a truss roof for this event, the powers that be said "ok this is the money you get", and the roof they ended up with was too small for their rig. At that point gear should have been cut from the rig.


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## DaveySimps (Jun 23, 2010)

I've worked countless shows with Performance providing the staging over the past decade or so. They have always been professional, on the ball, and very concerned with safety. From my experience, it would be very out of character for them to not do the leg work and triple check everything.

I know the crew they used was a non union group of concert guys that crew at various ballrooms and concert halls in the area, and not as many arenas from my understanding.

I am really glad the injuries were not life threatening.

~Dave


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## Scarrgo (Jun 23, 2010)

I know some of the crew, and also was told(unconfirmed speculation), well, I dont have all the direct knowledge leading up to the load-in, so I will wait to see what happens. My father owned a tomcat roof years ago that I used to run with, and it can be nerve wracking, I am glad to be rid of it. Just to many variables, and you can do everything right, and still there is always the danger.
I was called for the in, glad I had something better to do that day...
Just glad that no one was killed.

Sean...

P.S. If I find out more I will update, untill then...


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## ChubRock (Jun 26, 2010)

My thoughts are with the injured brothers and sisters. I hope they fully recover quickly and return to gainful employment. Scary scene there in MI.


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