Published:"Wednesday, September 26, 2007 VANCOUVER - It will take weeks before toxicology reports reveal why a man died during a Smashing Pumpkins concert at Vancouver's Pacific National Exhibition Forum. Kenny Leung, 20, of Richmond, B.C.
, was carried unconscious out of the mosh pit at the front of the stage by two other concertgoers, less than 15 minutes after the show began Monday. Some witnesses said he was "crowd surfing," being passed hand to hand overhead by the crowd at the front of the stage. Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan performs in California earlier this month.
A fan from Richmond, B.C., died after attending the band's recent show in Vancouver.
Paul Butterfield/Getty Images Email to a friend Printer friendly Font: * * * * Leung was immediately treated by medical attendants, then rushed to hospital. However, doctors were unable to revive him. The coroner's report said Leung suffered no visible injuries while at the concert.
Toxicology tests should determine the exact cause of death. "We don't know what caused the death," said the forum's Laura Ballance on Wednesday, "but no matter what the cause, it is tragic." Ballance said "trying to prevent crowd surfing and moshing is unrealistic.
Unless you stood (a security person) side by side with every guest, you can't stop it." She said 76 security staff were working the event and signs were posted warning of mosh pit risks. The forum "did not consider (the Pumpkins) a heavy moshing or crowd surfing show," she said.
While extremely rare in Canada, rock show deaths are not unusual. According to Chicago-based Crowd Management Strategies, the first recorded death in a mosh pit came in 1993 at concert in England by the metal band Motorhead. Two similar deaths followed that year.
CMS regularly surveys rock shows for fatalities, with a look at 31 events worldwide in 2002 revealing 21 patron deaths. A similar survey in 2001 showed 55 lives were lost. Last month, two people were killed at an Ozzfest concert in New Jersey.
donharrison@png.canwest.
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