Tonight’s WIRK Rib Round Up was cut short after a “medical emergency” took place involving a LiveNation staff member during Michael Ray‘s set.
When the photographers arrived to check in to shoot Chris Janson‘s set a little while later, they were informed of the delay. We learned shortly afterwards that one of the spotlight operators up in the rafters had suffered a heart attack. The platform is reached by the operator via a ladder a few stories up, and they typically stay up there during the duration of the show. The original delay was so that they could keep the house lights on so paramedics could safely reach him to provide treatment.
After the lengthy delay, WIRK’s morning show team, Chelsea and Tim, came out to announce that Chris Janson was about to come on stage. The house lights finally were turned off, and the crowd was buzzing in anticipation for a good 20 minutes. I sensed that the show may get cancelled once he didn’t come out right away, and sure enough someone came out a couple minutes later to make the announcement.
There was talk about how they were going to bring him down – whether they’d bring him down the ladder or bring him up to the roof for an airlift. Sadly, unconfirmed reports are that the man passed away. It is still unclear as to whether they were able to get him out and they cancelled the show purely out of respect to his family, or if he was declared dead and they needed to clear the venue to be able to remove his body.
Reports are that PBSO had given the okay to resume the show, which would seem a bit morbid if his body was still up there. Kudos to WIRK for making the right decision to cancel the rest of the event. They did announce that they would reschedule Chris Janson and Dustin Lynch, who were the final two acts that were scheduled to perform. Stay tuned for more info.
Please join us in sending our thoughts and prayers out to the family and loved ones of the victim.
STORY UPDATED (March 8th, 11:52am):
We have confirmed that the gentleman did pass away. His name was Delmas O’Dell Hayes, aka SPYDR. His daughter posted the below on Facebook early this morning announcing the news. If you click “See More” it will show you her request for financial assistance to be able to travel to South Florida to make proper arrangements for her father. Her PayPal is creativelyknotted@gmail.com and her Cash app ID is $spydrbaby. Please help out if you can! Our sincerest condolences go out to India and her family.