We regard the music world as a place where anything can happen, and an unfortunate string of tragedies have set the tone for this week.
A recent Tenacious D show in Las Vegas was shut down after a fight and subsequent stabbing occurred within the audience. At the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay resort, the rock-comedy duo was almost halfway through their set when a fight reportedly broke out between 2 men in the audience. One man was stabbed in the leg, eyewitnesses reporting to the Journal-Review that a pool of blood was seen on the
floor of the bar area.
Following the stabbing, the remainder of the concert was canceled and the House of Blues was shut down for the rest of the night for investigation. The victim was promptly hospitalized, and the culprit has reportedly been taken into custody. This stabbing follows a string of recent incidents, including the stabbing at a Swedish House Mafia show in England as well as another stabbing at a Cro Mags show in NYC.
A recent Ministry show in Paris, France was cancelled mid-set when front man Al Jourgensen collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. There were reports that Jourgensen seemed inebriated while performing prior to his collapse, and was having trouble moving throughout the set.
Following his hospitalization, Ministry was forced the cancel their Rock En Stock Festival performance for the next day at Parc Du Valigot in Etaples, France. The band’s management issued a statement and apology to fans, regarding Jourgensen’s incident “a full-system collapse due to extreme dehydration and heat exhaustion intensified by the lack of ventilation on stage at the venue.”
Last weekend a 24-year old man was found unconscious at the Global Gathering event in Warwickshire, England. Paramedics declared the man dead at the scene. Although his cause of death is categorized as unexplained for the moment, a follow-up examination is set to occur.
The Global Gathering is a 2-day dance festival that attracted up to 40,000 people this year. Taking place just north of Oxford, the well-known electronic music festival featured performances from Skrillex, Afrojack, Tinie Tempeh and more.
This week the well-known band The Olivia Tremor Control released a statement that member Bill Doss died at the early age of 43. The talented singer-songwriter was a prominent contributor to the band as well as their label, The Elephant 6 Recording Company, and he helped establish the hybrid genre of psychedelic folk-pop within the modern independent music scene.
Olivia Tremor Control’s most notable work is probably their 1995 release Music from the Unrealized Film Script “Dusk at Cubist Castle,” as it served as an impacting and resonant statement for the genre. Doss’ label spun off or influenced a number of great bands, such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stero, Dressy Bessy, Of Montreal, Elf Power and more. Olivia Tremor Control’s representatives have asked fans to “respect the privacy of the Elephant 6 family at this time. Our hearts are with them, and we will release any further details and statements as it’s fit in the days to come.”
The electro-pop indie group Passion Pit has announced the disappointing cancellation of several tour dates due to front man Michael Angelakos’ mental instability and downward progression. Previously, Passion Pit cancelled dates in Tennessee, North Carolina, New York, Delaware and Virginia because of Angelakos’ desire to improve his mental health leading up to Lollapalooza. The group recently made another announcement of cancellations, erasing 3 more shows from their tour on August 8, 9 and 10th, 2 in Colorado and one in Salt Lake City. However, the group has begun to reschedule some of the cancelled shows for the fall. So far there are rescheduled dates in Nashville, Knoxville and Charlotte on September 17th, 18th and 19th.
Unplugging in Brief:
Las Vegas Tenacious D Show Shut Down After Stabbing – A fight and subsequent stabbing took place mid-set at a recent Tenacious D show in Las Vegas.
Ministry Show in Paris Cancelled Mid-Set After Al Jourgensen Needed to Be Rushed to the Hospital – Ministry front man Al Jourgensen collapsed onstage and was rushed to the hospital due to dehydration and exhaustion.
Man Found Dead at Global Gathering in Warwickshire, England – A 24-year old man was found dead on the scene of a popular 2-day dance festival.
Elephant 6 Collective Leader Bill Doss is Dead– At the early age of 43, Elephant 6 Collective leader Bill Doss has passed away.
Passion Pit Cancel Tour Dates So Frontman Can “Improve His Mental Health” – Passion Pit has cancelled several more shows due to front man Michael Angelakos’ unstable
mental health.
