A fan died Sunday night after he fell during a concert by the popular jam band, Phish, at San Francisco’s Chase Center, and two other people were injured later in an unrelated fall.
“Two guests attending last night’s concert were seriously injured,” Chase Center officials said in a statement. “The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Officer has informed us that, sadly, one of the individuals has passed away. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the guest’s loved ones. We are working with the local authorities to determine exactly what happened, and will defer questions about the incident to the San Francisco Police Department.”
Chris Lotterer was one of the thousands of fans at the show that night. “There was all this scrambling of medical authorities and cops,” he said. “I looked over and saw this guy being (worked on) by the medics. It was like 10 rows behind us. The show went on, and the whole time we were just thinking that we hoped he was all right.”
Other fans, traumatized by what they had seen, shared recollections on Reddit. The band had been playing the song “Destiny Unbound” when the first fall occurred, they noted.
“It was 5 rows in front of my wife and I in (section) 116. The single worst thing I’ve ever seen. Thoughts to his family and all that witnessed such a tragedy,” one Reddit user wrote.
No one else was injured during that fall, even though the floor was filled with fans.
“The man that fell and died landed on a chair right next to my buddy. (His) shoulder brushed my buddy’s shoulder as he fell. 2 inches to the left and my buddy would have been killed as well,” one fan wrote on Reddit. “The sound … is one I will never forget. I am trained in CPR and first aid, so I went to try and assist, but it was clear he was no longer alive.”
Police were alerted to the incident around 8:55 p.m.
“Medics arrived and immediately provided medical treatment, but despite the efforts of the emergency responders the victim succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased,” a San Francisco Police spokesperson said.
There was no evidence of foul play, and an investigation is underway. Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444.
The second incident took place around 9:45 p.m. when a second fan fell and apparently struck another concertgoer. Both individuals were later taken to the hospital to be treated for “non-life threatening injuries,” police said.
“I was at the next section over on the (aisle) from the non-fatal incident,” another fan noted on Reddit. “During intermission the guy must have been at the very top walking over a seat and slipped … and went over the shield onto Portal 50.”
Phish, one of the music world’s most popular touring acts, performed twice at Chase Center over the weekend, Oct. 16 and 17. The Vermont-based band, featuring guitarist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, bassist Mike Gordon and keyboardist Page McConnell, also performed on Oct. 15 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Sunday night’s show continued on, and many people in the arena — including the members of Phish — apparently did not find out what had happened until afterward.
“Truly tragic and horrific,” one fan wrote on Reddit. “The band did NOT know this happened, much of the staff at the venue had no idea this went down until after the show.”