6/19/2012
Radiohead paid tribute to a member of the band's crew who was killed on Saturday (June 16th) when a stage collapsed before the band's scheduled concert in Toronto that evening. 33-year-old drum technician Scott Johnson died when the top portion of the stage fell on him as he was setting up the band's equipment. A statement posted by Radiohead drummer Phil Selwayread, "We have all been shattered by the loss of Scott Johnson, our friend and colleague. He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny; a highly skilled and valued member of our great road crew. We will miss him very much. Our thoughts and love are with Scott's family and all those close to him."
- Johnson also worked as a crew member for other British bands, including Keane and White Lies. Keane posted at its website that Johnson was "the cheerful, dependable guy you could always turn to, who lifted the spirits of everyone around him. We can't believe he's gone."
- Three other people were injured in the incident, which happened just one hour before the gates at Downsview Park were scheduled to open and let concertgoers in. The concert was subsequently canceled.
- According to BBC News, a team of inspectors and engineers have begun searching through the still unstable wreckage to try and establish what caused the stage to collapse.
- This is the latest in a series of stage collapses that has happened over the past few years at North American concerts, including an August 2011 incident in Indiana where five people were killed while waiting to see Sugarland.
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