Stage Collapses at Ottawa Bluesfest, Three Hospitalized

The incident ranks with the Black Eyed Peas' show in 2005 as the worst disasters to ever happen at Ottawa Bluesfest.

The last night of Ottawa's Bluesfest ended in near disaster when the main stage collapsed during a Cheap Trick performance when a sudden thunderstorm rolled through, sending at least three people to hospital. Cheap Trick was playing at around 7:20 p.m. in advance of Death Cab for Cutie, which was scheduled to close out the massive 12-day festival held on the grounds of the National War Museum, when heavy winds ripped the stage up as patrons were sent fleeing. The band managed to leave the stage seconds before it collapsed, but others weren't quite so lucky. Reports say as many as 12 people were injured, and that's before you account for the emotional damage wreaked on girls who weren't able to see Death Cab do its soft-rock-masquerading-as-something-interesting schtick. Bluesfest organizers are going to hold a news conference this morning to provide an update on the incident, which marred an otherwise successful festival. In its 17 years, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, as it's officially called, has become the country's largest blues festival and boasts perhaps the most expansive line-up on the continent.

Watch it on video here.