.38 Special Stage Collapses, Members Injured

08/15/2000 12:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(8/15/00, 12 p.m. ET) - The members of .38 Special got quite a scare last Saturday (August 12) during a show in Mancos, Colorado. The band was onstage at the Echo Basin Ranch when the wind began to pick up, and right in the middle of "Wild-Eyed Southern Boys," heavy gusts caused the canopy covering the band and its gear to collapse down onto the stage.

According to a spokesperson for the group, keyboardist Bobby Capps noticed what was happening and tried to warn the rest of the guys. Singer-guitarists Don Barnes, Donnie Van Zant, and Danny Chauncey were all able to dive out of the way before getting hit by the front of the lighting unit, which was swinging down from above the stage.

Drummer Gary Moffatt and bassist Larry Junstrom weren't so lucky, as each took a significant hit from the falling debris: Moffatt was knocked off his drum riser, while Junstrom was struck in the leg by the light structured and taken for X-rays, although his leg wasn't broken. However, he is reported to be very sore, sustaining substantial bruising on his legs and back. Also injured were a few crew members, one of whom wound up with a broken foot, while another got X-rays after a serious blow to his head.

Some of .38 Special's equipment also was damaged: Capps's keyboards took a direct hit from the falling debris, with a large piece of metal going right through them, and Moffatt's drums also were struck. The spokesperson quoted Junstrom as saying he didn't think much of the gear could be salvaged.

According to Junstrom, while no one was seriously injured, all the members are very shaken up, since this was the worst event of its type that the band has ever gone through. At press time, it was unclear whether .38 Special would be playing the upcoming shows on the group's itinerary.

Bruce Simon, New York

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