Morbid Angel were due to perform at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, IL on Friday night (March 31st), but the roof of the venue collapsed, killing one person and injuring 28 people. According to the Belvidere Police Department, 260 people were in the venue when the roof caved in.
The National Weather Service sent out a tornado warning at 7:45pm local time; the roof collapsed 10 minutes later.
Morbid Angel has shared the following message:
"On behalf of Morbid Angel, we want to first and foremost send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the individual who tragically lost their life last night in the venue roof collapse due to heavy winds from a tornado.
We lost a brother in metal last night, and many were hurt and injured in this tragedy. We would like to express how truly thankful we are for those in attendance (fans, venue staff, bands and crew) that assisted with getting people out and to safety. We want to thank the first responders (Fire, EMT, Police) that were on the scene quickly and were able to help in getting people out of the venue and to hospitals for treatment as quickly as possible.
YOU ARE TRUE HEROES!
At this time our minds continue to remain with all those who were injured and hospitalized, as well as everyone who was effected by the storms in the surrounding area. We truly hope for a fast recovery of all who were injured.
As a result of the events of last night, we are working to re-scheduling tonight’s show in Joliet, IL (April 1st) to Wednesday April 5th. With that said, our focus remains with the victims of this terrible storm.
We want to personally send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of our deceased brother in Metal, Fred Livingston Jr. Anyone who wants to help or show support to the family may do so below."
Eyewitness News WTVO / WQRF has shared an interview with concert-goer Gabrielle Lewellyn, who was inside the Apollo Theater for a few minutes before the storm hit and the roof collapsed. Multiple people were trapped under the rubble, she said.
Belvidere police chief Shane Woody commented, saying it was "absolute chaos. When officers are first on the scene, when the fire department and first responders get here, they do the best they can to control the chaos as much as possible, but ultimately, we go in, and ultimately try and find people, and save as many people as we possibly can, and bring them to safety as best as we can."
A fundraiser has been launched here in support of Fred Livingston Jr.'s family.
