The videos of the overhead rigging collapsing onto the stage and nearby track at the Indiana State Fair are hypnotic. They have attracted untold numbers of viewers around the country and the globe. The videos, though, are not entertainment. They are powerful and sobering reminders of the sometimes deadly capriciousness of weather and of the responsibility sponsors and promoters of outdoor events have to protect attendees.
Five people were killed and 45 injured in the Saturday tragedy in Indianapolis. In the days since, state officials have worked diligently to determine if the collapse of the stage was an accident or the result of structural problems. As of this writing, they had no definitive answers. Other questions about the disaster require answers, as well.
Many in the audience that night publicly wonder why fair officials did not order the crowd waiting to hear Sugarland perform to evacuate prior to the storm. There was, it seems, ample warning that bad weather was approaching and plenty of time to have the crowd leave the venue. No formal order to evacuate was given, though.
The crowd was told only that a storm was nearing, that the show might be delayed and that shelter was available nearby. Some concertgoers did leave. Most did not. Consequently, when the storm and its high winds arrived, tragedy ensued.
The scenario in Indianapolis is familiar to Dixie Fuller, production manager for the Riverbend Festival here. As drummer and stage manager for the band Alabama for nearly a decade, he performed at the Indiana State Fair several times. In his Riverbend job, he's extremely aware of the need to watch the weather and to safeguard festival attendees and performers. That task allows no room for compromise.
Safety always comes first, Fuller says. He and other festival officials constantly monitor weather radar. "If you see bad weather coming," he says, "you take action. You let the crowd know what's coming and keep them advised. If necessary, you ask them to leave the area. We do have an emergency evacuation plan and staff and volunteers are familiar with it." There have been some scary, weather-related moments at Riverbend, though.
Rain and high winds pummeled the riverfront during Gloria Estefan's show in 1988. Riverbend officials told people awaiting a show by Alabama in 2000 to leave and to seek shelter because of an approaching storm. Fuller vividly remembers what happened next. "Lightning hit the top of the Market Street Bridge, the top of the Tennessee Aquarium and a crane on the north side of the river." No one at the Riverbend site was hurt, though.
As events in Indianapolis show, that's not always the case when bad weather and outdoor events intersect. The calamity there is a reminder that it is usually better to act precipitously to avoid possible danger rather than to hesitate and then have to explain why the failure to take action caused so much grief.