Mint Chicks ‘Bring Down The House’

Chunks of plaster fell on two concertgoers during a Yeah Yeah Yeahs and New Zealand’s The Mint Chicks show billed as one that would “rattle the foundations” of Auckland’s historic 70-year-old St. James Theatre.

A 17-year-old required five stitches in a head wound during The Mint Chicks’ set and a young woman was reportedly hospitalized with a concussion and given a tetanus shot.

St. James manager John Griffiths said vibrations from the music dislodged plaster in the building.

“It was an exceptionally loud concert, the loudest there has been at St. James for a long time,” he said.

The concert continued after the incident, but workers have since checked the ceiling for safety. The theatre is mooting compensation for the two injured. It has already refunded their ticket prices, offered to cover clothing damage, and offered them free tickets to other events at the theatre.

In August 2001, about 10 people fell about half a meter through the dance floor at the St. James after it partially collapsed during an Incubus concert. Nobody was hurt.

– Bryan Jones