‘Idiots’ Busted For Warehouse Concert

A concert promoter in Springfield, Mo., admits “we were really just idiots” after a second visit from fire marshals over staging concerts in unapproved warehouse spaces less than two weeks after the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, Calif., claimed 36 lives.

AP Photo / Eric Risberg – Ghost Ship
Fire officials walk past the remains of the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif., Dec. 7.

Johan Collins, who books acts for a music venue called The Drop, and other organizers staged a concert Dec. 15 in an artists’ studio space that was cluttered with items including welding torches, according to the Springfield News-Leader.

“You’re mixing flammables with a large crowd of people in an unapproved space,” Assistant Fire Chief Randy Villines told the paper. “That’s a dangerous thing to have done.”

Fire marshals reportedly counted 172 people in the space when they arrived. It was the second shutdown for The Drop since it opened for business in late September. On Oct. 15, fire marshals and police shut down a concert for code violations including issues related to fire extinguishers, exits and signage, according to the News-Leader.