“The tent started to shake and suddenly we watched the MBNA stage rock back once and collapse onto itself, sending a shock which shook the tent we were in to the point I thought it might collapse as well,” she said.
Ivanković described the force of the stage collapse as having “tsunami effect,” hitting everyone in the vicinity with a strong gust of wind.
After the stage collapsed, concert-goers began screaming and running towards the door.
Kat Lauch, a second-year English student at McGill, said she was waiting with friends at the very front of the MBNA stage, watching Cheap Trick perform “I Want You to Want Me,” only moments before it collapsed at approximately 7:20 p.m.
Lauch said she was saving a coveted spot for the Death Cab for Cutie show when the stage collapsed and everyone ran.
“People were clawing at each other and no one knew how to react. Everyone was desperate to get away,” she said of the hysteria and desperation among the crowd. “It was chaos.”
In spite of the chaos, only three people had injuries that required a hospital visit, said Bluesfest official Joe Reilly. He said those injured were released the same day.
“We feel very fortunate,” Reilly said.
Some show-goers believed the July 17 windstorm was nothing compared to the freezing rain and winds endured while waiting for the Black Keys July 8.
“We already had a bad storm, who says we can’t stand another one?” said Calum Slingerland, a second-year journalism student at Carleton, describing his mentality at the time.
Slingerland, however, said it didn’t take him long to realize just how serious the weather conditions were.
“We saw these big black ominous clouds rolling in. The wind starts to pick up, I look up, and we see seagulls trying to flap their wings. The wind took them right out,” he said.
Before the storm, Chicago hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco played for an incredibly large and excited crowd. He played a variety of tracks with trip-hop sampling, heavy metal-inspired drumming and guitar riffs. In addition to songs “Daydreamin'”, “Beautiful Lasers”, and the classic, Grammy-nominated 2006 hit “Kick, Push,” Fiasco also performed a poetic commentary on American politics.
As Fiasco’s poetry increased in crescendo, so did the strong winds during the final songs of his set around 6:45 pm. A light, spitting rain had begun and winds became more violent with one metal placard sign flying by and nearly hitting an audience member.
Now, the cleanup has begun and the stages are being dismantled, Reilly said. The MBNA stage will be the last one to be taken down he added. The Ontario Ministry of Labour requires an engineer to carefully dismantle the collapsed stage, Reilly added.
After the stage collapse, the rest of the night’s shows were cancelled — refunds or exchanges for Ottawa Folk Festival 2011 or Bluesfest 2012 day tickets are being offered. Among the cancelled acts were Joe Satriani, Galactic, Ra Ra Riot, Stephen Fearing, John Butler Trio, and Death Cab for Cutie.
