Stagehand Dies At Avenged Sevenfold Germany Concert

A 19-year-old stagehand was killed when a rigger fell onto him while dismantling the stage after a Feb. 20 Avenged Sevenfold gig at Stuttgart, Germany’s Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle.

Scott Legato / RockStarProPhotography.com – Avenged Sevenfold
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Mich.

The rigger survived with serious injuries, and is currently hospitalized. It is not yet clear what caused him to fall from a height of about 15 to 20 meters onto his colleague, who died on the scene.

German police have halted the stage dismantling process to investigate the incident. Live Nation and Stuttgart local promoter SKS Russ reached out to the families of both men involved in the incident and expressed their consternation in a joint statement. Schleyer-Halle released a statement saying its staff was “shocked and in deep mourning.” An arena representative told German Bild Zeitung that it was the first fatal incident in Schleyer-Halle since the arena opened in 1983.

Avenged Sevenfold, which canceled its Feb 21 gig in Milan, Italy, due to “an illness,” released the following: “This is beyond heartbreaking to everyone in the band and on our crew. We all send our thoughts and prayers to the man in the hospital, both families involved, all of the local Live Nation crew and everyone else whose lives have been affected by this terrible accident.

“We love our crew so much as well as the many local staff who are essential to our show every night wherever we are around the world. This is such a stark reminder of how quickly an accident can happen and lives shattered in the process. When we hear more we will update you.”

Police investigations were ongoing at press time.