On this day, Dec. 3, in 1989, 11 fans of The Who were trampled to death minutes before a rock concert in Cincinnati.
An hour before showtime, the doors to Riverfront Coliseum still hadn’t opened. A large mob, which began gathering that morning because the show was general admission — or first-come, first-served — seating, began pushing forward. But promoters told police to keep them out because the band was still rehearsing.
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Someone smashed through a glass door, and the crowd surged. Police heard that people were being stampeded, but they couldn’t break the surge. In all, seven men and four women were killed, including three high school students. They died of suffocation.
The fire marshal told the concert managers that the show had to go on. Members of The Who did not know about the deaths of their fans until after the concert.
The tragedy led to sweeping changes in concert safety and crowd management, including a ban on general admission seating in many large rock venues.
– Scott McCabe
