Radiohead Remember Crew Member Killed In Stage Collapse
June 18, 2012
Radiohead
The fallout continues from Saturday afternoon's stage collapse in Toronto before Radiohead's North American tour finale. The collapse killed Scott Johnson, a drum tech for the British band, who was trapped under the rubble. The incident also sent one man to the hospital with a head injury, while two other crew members were also injured but treated on-site.
On Sunday afternoon, the band posted a blog entry signed by drummer Phil Selway, remembering Johnson. The posting reads, "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 had also worked as a crew member for Keane, who posted their own tribute today, saying, "We lost our great friend Scott Johnson on Saturday. Scott has been part of our touring family since 2004, working as drum tech, stage manager, and studio tech, but he gave us so much more - he saw the good in everything. He 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. Our thoughts are with his family and friends; Radiohead and their crew. We love you Scotty, we'll miss you."
A spokesperson for the Toronto police told reporters over the weekend that they would be working closely with the Ministry of Labour to determine the cause of the stage collapse. Spokesperson Tony Vella urged any witnesses to the incident to come forward and contact the police, but noted, "It's going to take us a large amount of time to determine exactly what occurred." Ministry of Labour spokesperson Matt Blajer added that the stage is "still fairly unstable" and the investigation into the cause of the incident is "fairly complex."
There were three notable stage collapses in 2011, but all three were caused by inclement weather. On Saturday, the weather in Toronto was calm and sunny.