The ceiling panels at the Festival Hall in Melbourne, Australia collapsed on fans during a recent Bad Omens concert, reportedly leaving at least one attendee knocked out.
The metal band were performing the first of two sold-out shows at Melbourne’s Festival Hall last night (January 22), when fans were hit by falling ceiling panels during the concert. The incident occured as the band were performing the penultimate song of their headlining set, ‘Just Pretend’.
During the performance, confetti was shot into the audience and several panels from the venue’s ceiling fell onto unsuspecting fans. Per a Wall Of Sound report, the incident left one fan knocked out. Another fan has also reportedly suffered “soft tissue damage to her hand & maybe broken/fractured fingers”.
One fan in attendance told Wall Of Sound: “It was actually really bad… Two girls got dragged out in front of me, one bleeding from her mouth and neck, the other from her knee… A bunch of people in the area were scrambling to get out.”
Another added: “There was a girl on the ground clearly dazed, with blood running down her face. They had trouble getting her up as I’m not sure if she was passing out. Medics jumped in and escorted her out of the pit.”
The Music also reports that claims of injuries are currently mixed, as some attendees claimed to only have witnessed minor injuries, while others report that a fan was bloodied and rushed to the hospital.
Per the footage below, it would appear that Bad Omens were unaware of the incident, as they proceeded to perform the rest of the song before walking offstage and returning shortly after for an encore.
@v4mpguurl if it hit me i would sue fr #badomens #melbourne
♬ original sound – v4mpguurl
Neither the band nor Festival Hall have commented on the incident or the seriousness of fans’ injuries. It is currently unclear if the band’s performance tonight will proceed at the same venue.
The band are due to return to the venue for another sold-out show tonight (January 23) with Poppy and House of Protection as supporting acts. Last night’s gig also kicked off the band’s headlining tour of Australia, which is scheduled to run until January 29.
Speaking to NME in 2023, frontman Noah Sebastian opened up about his work ethic on ‘The Death of Peace of Mind’. “I feel like I really came into my own over the last year and a half,” he said. “During the pandemic, [I] really wanted to improve my voice because I’m always very hyper-critical of myself. [It was] a combination of that and getting in better shape and being healthier, sleeping better, eating better.”
“Because of what I’ve been able to do with my vocals, that’s why this record is so vocal-focused. The production is built around nuances in the vocal takes, and the lyrics, the subject matter and the emotion that you can deliver in a vocal,” he added.
