Stage collapse today w/ Chicago band on stage

[BRoWN]

 
Stage collapse during Smith Westerns show in Belgium kills at least 2

2:37 p.m. CDT, August 18, 2011

The mayor of a Belgian town says two people have died and around 40 have been injured when a storm hit an open air music festival nearby during a Smith Westerns show, according to the Associated Press.

Video from the site showed stage equipment dangling in high winds as rain-soaked concertgoers at the Pukkelpop festival ran for cover near the town of Hasselt, about 50 miles east of Brussels.

Le Soir newspaper quoted a witness saying that the sky got dark, winds picked up violently as hailstones pelted those gathered there Thursday.

     

The Smith Westerns are a Chicago band in town last weekend for Lollapalooza. Front man Cullen Omori tweeted this afternoon: "Stage collapsed max almost got crushed by the tress. I hope pukkelpop has insurance bc all our (expletive) is broke." He later confirmed that no one in Smith Westerns was hurt in the crash.

The festival's website lists a number of stages where concerts and performances were to be held during the three-day event, which started Thursday. Reports say some 60,000 people are attending the event.