Man Falls To His Death At Wembley Oasis Concert

[RabbitsRock]

Just reading a thread on Redditt about this. Terrible situation. The thing that sticks with you the most is the insane amount of alcohol that was being consumed ( it hasn’t been stated that the man who fell was drunk but a lot of people were) & apparently Wembley Stadium proudly claimed they’d sold 250K pints. Not sure if that was in one night. Many concertgoers had been drinking all day & some could hardly stand up, plus the stadium floors were like ice rinks from spilt beer (it was being thrown everywhere). I don’t drink anymore but even when I did, I couldn’t get my head round why people feel the need to get absolutely steaming drunk to have a good time.

I was at Oasis last night. The seating does go very high and the floors were incredibly slippery due to spilt drinks etc.
Such a tragedy though, that poor man and his family, and those at the concert that witnessed it.

Alcohol definitely makes it worse - this man could have been stone cold sober but if he tripped and then was jostled/pushed about about drunk people it would definitely make things a lot worse. I recently attended a large event which was alcohol-free (not a gig) and although there was some small grumbling about that, drinking wasn’t at all necessary to enjoy the day (and I say that as someone who does drink!) and it certainly meant the progress around the site and the exiting was completely calm and unstressful. Adding in even a couple of hundred people who were worse for wear would have made it much less predictable.

I wouldn’t go to level 4 at the O2 ever again even if the seat was free. Utterly horrendous.

It’s the laddish mad fer it 90s culture associated with Oasis that may account for the alcohol consumption. I’m sure the H&S executive will investigate to establish if the venue or vendors were negligent in any way. But ultimately it would appear to be an unfortunate accident with tragic consequences

Actually, it's no alcohol in sight of the pitch. Nothing to stop people downing drinks before the game, or during half-time, sadly.

I can’t believe how high some stadium seating is. I went to the Co-Op stadium in Manchester last year and our seats were right at the top, it was terrifying and I spent a lot of the gig feeling anxious. An man sat next to us lost his footing and fell on to the people in front of him, had they not been there it would have been a nasty accident

Yes I noted how slippery the floor was when I was there. Absolutely treacherous.

Drinking has always been part of the going to gigs thing. Since I don't drink I find it odd that people spend a lot of money on tickets and then spend more money wandering to the bar and missing the show. Oasis fans currently breaking the record at Wembley by apparently drinking 250k pints per night. Good news for the band as they get a % off the takings.

Were you there or are you relying on online tattle for your info?

I was there.

I can’t comment on why the poor man fell. It was dreadful.

your points in turn:

• Many concertgoers had been drinking all day - some had been perhaps but I didn’t see anyone very drunk. There was also free drinking water amply available

• some could hardly stand up - I didn’t see one person like this, everyone was upright and happy.

• plus the stadium floors were like ice rinks from spilt beer - a bit slippy at the end when everyone was bouncing about. But not slippy for those just walking around. There was a spill on the stairs and the staff quickly mopped it up and warned us so we avoided those steps.

• (it was being thrown everywhere). - nope, some was thrown, I was maybe splatted 3 times in many hours and it was a light trickle not a deluge.

• I couldn’t get my head round why people feel the need to get absolutely steaming drunk to have a good time - everyone is different. Again, not that many people were ‘steaming drunk’ but everyone did seem to have a very good time.

A neighbour’s grandson, maybe 12, once earned himself over £90 by collecting up and returning all the (presumably) plastic beer glasses during and after the match!

My mum had a panic attack while climbing the stairs at the Hydro arena in Glasgow. She didn't even make it to her seat; my dad and a steward practically had to carry her back down. She obviously knew the seats would be quite high up but she didn't realise how steep it was until she got there.

I refuse to go to the football with DH if the seats are in the upper tier for the same reason. The steep angle gives me a constant feeling that I'm going to fall forward.

Surely is shouldn't be possible to fall from an upper tier to the ground?
I have a head for heights but with the 02 its not the height. Its the fact that your feet are the same level as the top of the seat in front of you. I wouldn't go and see some bands there.

100 per cent agree. No one loves a drink more than me but I didn’t drink a drop at the Oasis gig last week because I wanted to remember it all.

Yes my DS is going to that and has upper tier front row seats. He's 6'4 so the barrier will probably be up to his knees.
It's concerning. When designing these spaces you would think that they'd take into account that the users may be drunk, dancing or likely to get lairy and account for that with appropriate safety features.

Nearly all of my gig experiences have been at ground level but some years back I went to see Take That at Wembley with gifted tickets and we were in an upper tier that made me feel ill. The barrier was very low. I sat all the way through because it gave me vertigo and it felt unsafe to stand up and dance. I remember a girl tripping on the very steep stairs and managing to stop herself because she would have gone right over if she hadn’t. I can see how easily this could happen and I couldn’t wait to get out. It was a deeply unpleasant experience. This is so sad and horrendous for the man and his family. I do feel that upper tier safety should be better addressed.

Ive never understood why people get so drunk at gigs. We went to see Foo Fighters last year and there were people who couldnt stand. Our coach had to leave 2 parties behind because someone had got so drunk they ended up in hospital (and luckily their friend stayed with them) and the others were too drunk to find their way back to the coach. Why pay all that money when you can just do that at a local pub?

It's also very common for people to throw urine about. There are no words for the people who do that. When people throw cups about you never know what is in them.

I can imagine that there was plenty of loutish behaviour at Oasis concerts just because of the demographic.

Obviously I have no idea why this man fell. I hope the people who saw it have been offered support.

While I agree with a lot of what has been posted about excessive drinking at gigs, it seems disrespectful to do so in the context of a fatality we know very little about.

Agree with @ArabellaFishwife

I was there on Sat, completely oblivious to this

Saw drunk people, but not excessively so. The floors were slippy but fine if you didn't run. A bit of beer being thrown. Not loads. The Oasis crowd are now middle-aged, they're no longer teenage idiots. It had a family vibe.

We have no idea what happened, an inquest will reveal more.

the top tier is extremely steep i dont think theres anough safety barriers-actually surprised it hasnt happened before

At a venue near me there are signs in the balcony telling people they're not allowed to stand in the front row, presumably due to the height of the safety rail.

Such an awful thing to happen, so traumatic to anyone who witnessed it, and for his friends and family of course.

last time I went to Wembley I was surprised at how many seemingly grown up middle aged men got so horrendously drunk - one fell over the seats in front of him into a poor couple & then was forced to sit on the stairs in the walkway for the rest of it by his friends as he was so drunk. He was lucky that people caught him as it is steep & I could imaging you could just keep falling.

How on earth do these stadia pass H&S regs? Perhaps , sadly, now there will be some new rules introduced. I am terrified of heights and just simply will not go if I have to sit high up. Also you are paying £££ to watch a screen.

Such a tragic event, the poor bloke.

Even Wembley seemed proud about the excessive beer sales though. It's one reason I don't have the patience to see Oasis again. The sheer amount of drunk people would ruin it. There's lots of reports of beer cups over the stairs, why aren't they picked up instantly? I'm a litter picker and would have a right flounce and start doing it there and then.

Apparently, the average beer sales at Taylor was 40k (the safest and friendliest gig I have ever been to) and Coldplay 120k.

There have been two reports recently into deaths on The Tube.

In both cases the deceased were very drunk BUT as with Oasis nothing about 'public intoxication'

I gather that there were significant problems caused by drunkenness in Sweden which resulted in the very strict licensing rules they now have. Perhaps we need Government to 'grow a pair' and take on the alcohol industry