# LED wall collapse at concert



## ruinexplorer (Jul 30, 2009)

So, this is a difficult one to report on. The facts are, Pepsi was hosting a "Battle of the Bands" type of competition in China, there was a typhoon that arrived sooner than expected, and the LED wall crashed down on stage during the performance. Problem is that it happened in China who doesn't like bad press and neither does Pepsi. There are unofficial reports of deaths, but those are being denied. It seems that there was insufficient ballast and/or guy wires supporting the structure and the were in the process of covering the back with tarps to protect it from the rain which turned into a giant sail. Here is a blog with video as well as an article about the event.

Pepsi Battle of the Bands Collapse in Guangzhou, China | Jim On Light

Pepsi hits back at concert 'death' rumour - Brand Republic Asia


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## gafftaper (Jul 30, 2009)

WOW... That thing came down REALLY hard and fast. Other videos I've seen in the past often involve sort of metal twisting slowly gaining momentum falls. That screen was SLAMMED to the deck. It's going to be amazing if no one was killed.


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## Footer (Jul 30, 2009)

No way nobody died on that one. That is unreal. 

For those of you who don't like clicking...


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## Van (Jul 30, 2009)

One of my light board ops is Chinese, originally, I'm going to try to get him to listen to the end of that to see if the talking is the singer or an announcer shutting down the concert as the Pepsi/Chinese are saying. I guess it is a positive that the singer was sining to canned music and it didn't appear there were any musicians onstage. I have to say I find it fascinating that there has been not word one on any major media here in the US.


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## epimetheus (Jul 30, 2009)

The US media is too busy covering the beer summit at the White House tonight...


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## Wolf (Jul 30, 2009)

epimetheus said:


> The US media is too busy covering the beer summit at the White House tonight...



yes but this article Big Accident at Pepsi Competition… | China Music Radar was published on the 22nd and the article from the OP on the says the concert was the 18th. It really is surprising how well information can be concealed especially from other countries.


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## shiben (Aug 1, 2009)

That said, Im surprised that more industry news outlets didnt pick up on it either. A collapsing LED wall is kind of a big deal, and the internet means techs from all over the world talk to eachother. I had not even heard of this until it popped up here. Although I guess this is how stuff like that gets out, this and youtube. Maybe if we all digg it CNN will pick it up?


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## NevilleLighting (Aug 1, 2009)

I don't see where the drummer had anywhere to go. That stuff is HEAVY.


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## renegadeblack (Aug 1, 2009)

Was there a drummer? Not to mention that the music kept going a short while after the wall hit the deck.


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## TheDonkey (Aug 1, 2009)

Drummer? What drummer?
There was a dumset, but I didn't see anyone at it.


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## FMEng (Aug 15, 2009)

Never underestimate the power of wind, especially against objects with a lot of surface area. Structural engineers will tell you that wind load is a big deal. Someone is at fault for not paying attention to the amount wind present at the time of the show, nor keeping a close eye on forecasts. It's unlikely that it was just one gust and "boom." It was probably building up for some time, which should have given them warning to evacuate. 

In that country, the punishment for those responsible might be prison, or death.

This is a good reminder that people working outdoor venues should have a NOAA weather alert radio being monitored on site. A sudden thunderstorm, wind storm, flash flood, etc., can kill people. The unsung National Weather Service does a great job of warning alerts.


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