Tour organizers and local promoters are trying to reschedule a pair of weekend concerts by Indian film composer
A.R. Rahman that had to be called off after a part of his stage collapsed during set-up Saturday (June 19) afternoon in Pontiac, Mich.
Several workers were treated for minor injuries after "structural complications" caused some of the rigging to collapse and damage part of the stage set of Rahman's Jai Ho Concert: The Journey Home World Tour, according to Chris Kelly, who was co-promoting the show at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Pontiac Fire Department was called to the scene to assist in the clean-up and begin an investigation of what went wrong.The concert was quickly called off, and patrons learned of the news via the venue's web site and Twitter or were greeted at the parking lot by security guards who told them the news. About 7,000 fans were expected at Saturday's show, according to Kelly. Rahman also pulled his Sunday stop scheduled for Toronto's Air Canada Centre. Rahman himself tweeted about the cancellation, promising that the shows "will be rescheduled" and adding that, "I regret any inconvenience this causes my fans and am deeply grateful no one from my team or the local Detroit stage crew was seriously injured." He subsequently tweeted after visiting the injured workers, noting that, "It's a miracle that my team escaped with minor injuries The lighting rig came apart Thanks to the almighty that everyone's safe."Pontiac promoter Kelly said that they hoped to have news about rescheduling his concert "within the next couple of weeks."
Rahman's tour, a theatrical spectacle featuring a company of singers and dancers as well as extensive visuals, resumes June 26 in San Francisco and is playing mostly weekend shows in North America through July 11, then heads to Europe for six shows starting July 16 in Zurich.
