Crüe Show Causes Alarm

A Cumberland County Civic Center spokesman refuted reports that a fire alarm at a Mötley Crüe concert was not heard by audience members, but said the Portland, Maine, venue is discussing its emergency procedures.

The band was playing an encore at its April 23rd concert when smoke from its pyrotechnics display triggered an alarm in a stairwell where a door had been left open. The alarm was accompanied by emergency strobe lights, according to the Portland Press Herald, but most spectators did not react, apparently assuming the lights were part of the show.

Security guards and police officers immediately began evacuating the building and the alarm was determined to be false.

Civic Center GM Steve Crane told Pollstar the venue’s emergency procedures worked fine, except that the band’s production manager “did not respond promptly” when told to stop the show.

“We were carrying out our emergency evacuation protocol, and part of that was to go directly to the artist and stop the show,” Crane said.

“We have a terrific, brand new, state-of-the-art emergency system – as modern as they come. Unfortunately, it got triggered accidentally but … we turned the house lights on and we followed the protocol and went to the people you need to go to to say ‘Stop the show.’

“Which leads us to the question: In the absence of having them do that, are we going to have to shut the power breakers off? We would have never anticipated that you would have to go that level.”

Venue officials are discussing shutting down power in the event of a similar situation, he said.

Contrary to reports, Crane said the alarm was audible.

“I was standing right on the floor and I heard it,” he said.

Crane acknowledged the potential distractions of the band’s light show and loud volume, but said, “It’s designed to be heard above all the music. And it was.”

Mötley Crüe representatives did not return calls for comment.

— Niilo Smeds