A fire marshal cut short Friday night’s concert at The Tabernacle after he noticed a light and joists moving on the stage floor where Panic! At The Disco was playing to a sold-out crowd.
“This was going to be a story either way — an evacuation or a collapse,” Fire Lt. Ulysses Gladden said of his concern at the movement and floor support he shouldn’t have been able to see.
Gladden and venue managers evacuated The Tabernacle, ending the show after just two songs. No one was injured.
“The situation could have been much worse and a large crack developing in a floor with hundreds of people on it is a major problem,” said John Anderson, who was at the concert. “As somebody who was on the floor at the time, I am very appreciative that an expert was there doing their job so well, and that helped keep us safe.”
The Tabernacle brought in structural engineers Saturday morning to help determine what happened.
“The safety of all at The Tabernacle — fans, performers and crew — is our number one priority and we will always side with caution,” venue officials said in the Facebook post. “We were completely impressed with how calmly everyone left the building when directed by the Fire Marshall (sic).”
The Las Vegas-based band’s lead singer used Twitter to reach fans angered over the show’s abrupt end.
“Holy (expletive), Atlanta, we broke the venue with our floor-collapsing ROCK!” Brandon Urie posted. “But don’t worry. We’re working on rescheduling the show.”
Urie later tweeted that the band would return to Atlanta sometime this summer.
“That was crazy,” Urie posted. “Glad everyone’s ok, even though it still sucks we can’t play. We’ll see your beautiful faces in the summer.”
Ticket holders can get refunds at their points of purchase, according to another post on The Tabernacle’s Facebook page.
Saturday's concert featuring country singer Corey Smith was rescheduled for May 10. Tickets for the original Feb. 8 date will be honored.
“Safety 1st,” Smith wrote on his Twitter account Saturday afternoon. “Sorry for inconvenience.
Staff writers April Hunt and Rodney Thrash contributed to this article.
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