AC/DC's Fatal Salt Lake Tragedy

01/18/2011
. (Gibson) Tragedy hit Salt Lake City on this day in 1991. AC/DC were playing the downtown Salt Palace, a huge event for Utah's rock and roll fraternity. Fans lined up for hours, many waiting overnight to purchase the prized tickets. The venue sold over 13,000 tickets for the show, with more than 4000 of those labeled as general admission, or festival style, seating. Those 4000 had no assigned seats, a factor that would lead to tragedy as the concert got underway.

12 years earlier in 1979, 11 people were crushed and trampled to death at The Who's concert in Cincinnati. After that horrible tragedy, many venues banned festival style seating. History, however, would repeat itself this night in Salt Lake City as the crowd surged, and those in the front fell down, pushed by the heaving weight of bodies behind them. Three fans, Jimmie Boyd Jr., 14, Curtis White Child, 14, and Elizabeth Glausi, 19, were killed.

15 years later, Cathy Free spoke to some fans who were at that AC/DC show in Salt Lake City about their memories of the terrible events on January 18 for People magazine. read more here

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