Warning: This article contains an embedded video that may be disturbing to some readers.
A series of ‘Mirror’ concerts in Hong Kong were canceled after a serious accident Thursday night in which two performers were injured after they were hit by a giant LED video screen that fell from the ceiling.
The horrific incident (below) was captured on video, and the footage went viral.
The two injured actors were dancers for the 12-piece boy band Mirror, who were participating in a concert series called “MIRROR.WEARE” at the Colosseum, a frequent concert venue that became known as the mecca of Kantou Pop. industry. The concert series, which began on July 25, was supposed to include a total of 12 shows through August 5. This was the debut of the Canto-Pop singing sensation at the Colosseum.
The accident occurred during a group show, when a giant LED video screen suspended above the stage fell and collided with two dancers who were standing directly below it. They were dropped to the ground and appeared unconscious, while the rest of the crew was stunned. The actors were taken to the hospital. One of them was reportedly shot in the head, but his condition is stable; The other suffered a neck injury, and is reportedly in serious condition.
#broke downA terrible accident occurred when a Hong Kong boy band was hosting their first concert, injuring at least two dancers. Both were said to have been conscious when they were sent to hospital. pic.twitter.com/y3c7MVyUmn
– Ezra Cheung (@ezracheungtoto) 28 July 2022
The concert was immediately halted and fans were asked to leave the venue, but were told they could hold their tickets until further notice. Many who witnessed the accident live at the party, or watched the video circulating on social media, reported that they were emotionally disturbed by the accident.
“I’ve never felt so terrified going to a concert. Coming off the runway felt like you walked out of a funeral home. It was bleak, no one was talking,” said an attendee who witnessed the accident. diverse. “Some of the other girls in the audience were crying. Another friend, a mother, wondered why such a horrific and unacceptable incident had happened in Hong Kong, at the Colosseum.”
The incident caused a public outcry, as fans and industry insiders condemned the concert organizers for not giving them enough time for site inspections and rehearsals, and for ignoring the safety of the performers.
The Hong Kong government has suspended more concerts at the venue until the stage design and mechanical structures are proven safe.
Concert organizers Music Nation and MakerVille, two subsidiaries of Hong Kong telecom giant PCCW, announced later at 2 a.m. Friday local time that the remaining eight performances of the concert series had been cancelled. In a statement, they said they regretted the incident and expressed concern for the injured actors, saying they would provide support to the victims. The companies also pledged to investigate the cause of the accident.
Mirror, formed in 2018 and made up of 12 vocalists, is featured on “King Maker,” a reality television show presented by PCCW’s ViuTV. The group rose to stardom in Hong Kong during the COVID pandemic. Some of the band’s members, including Keung To, Anson Lo, and Edan Lui, have become some of the city’s fastest rising stars in music, television, and movies, and the band has also become a favorite of advertisers due to their huge fan base.
However, the criticism directed at organizing the concert series did not stop since its launch.
Just before the start of the series of shows, a dancer was injured while rehearsing. On the second night, Mirror member Frankie Chan fell off the stage while performing. Several audience members who attended the first two performances questioned the stage’s safety measures.
It was later revealed that the actors were only given two days to train before the concert series began. Industry heavyweight Aaron Kwok, a Canto-Pop actor and star best known for his dance performances on stage, said that two days were not enough to prepare for a concert. Kwok said he needed at least three to four days to practice at the venue, and before that, he was training at a different location with a replica stage.
The dispute over safety has been roaring all week, with More than 13,000 signatures of petition on Change.org Require party organizers to dismantle unsafe mechanical stage designs and ensure a safe stage for performers to sing and dance.
“It’s so wrong [that] Even before this incident, the public [was pleading] With regulators to put safety at the top of the list and [requesting that they] “Cancel some staging arrangements so the boys can perform in safe places,” said Shirley Chan, a fan in The Mirror, who bought two tickets to a show at the weekend.
Concerned fans wondered if two production companies, Hip Hing Loong Stage Engineering Company Ltd and Art Design & Production Ltd, should take responsibility for the serious accident. But an entertainment industry insider who is familiar with concert productions said diverse That these companies use local industry experts, the accident was rare. They suggest that the problem is a lack of critical training time that may have exposed technical shortcomings.
“The organizers did not give enough time for the crew and performers to prepare and rehearse,” said the insider, who asked not to be named. “Any problems on stage are discovered and resolved during training. But it seems there hasn’t been enough time for that.”
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