Akon Stage Collapses

A stage canopy collapsed during soundcheck for an Akon concert on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta October 25th, rendering two people unconscious.

The Akon concert, which was organized by a student group for a popular event called the Fall Band Party, was canceled immediately. The canopy collapsed around 5:30 p.m. after opening act Ray Lavender and musicians for Akon completed their soundchecks and left the stage, according to campus paper Emory Wheel.

The canopy buckled in the middle. EMS crews and fire trucks were reportedly on the scene within minutes and two unconscious people were pulled out from beneath the collapse. A third person suffered a minor injury, the paper said.

Several students were already on the festival site and witnessed the collapse. They were ushered across the street by student organizers and security guards, according to the Wheel. Akon was not on the scene.

The canopy was reportedly provided by Atlanta-based In Concert Productions. A representative at the company, who did not identify himself, told Pollstar the company was still gathering facts and could not comment at press time.