The Concert that Almost Killed Me

In the 80s, the worst venue for a live show had to be the Ottawa Civic Centre. And the worst place to be in that arena was in general admission.

You would think that the home ice to the Ottawa 67s would be cool all the time, but you would be wrong. During a concert, when the rink space would be converted to a stage and general-admission area, the ice was covered up and the mass of bodies would heat up the entire venue.

Imagine paying $15.50 to see U2 today!

So when my friends and I bought general-admission tickets, in 1985, to see U2 for their Unforgettable Fire tour, we had made a big mistake.

I bought the t-shirt before we went into the stadium—another mistake. I was afraid that the t-shirts wouldn't be available after the show, so I pulled it over the shirt that I had worn to the concert, which showed the cover of my favourite U2 album, War.

We made our way to as near the stage as we could get. In a couple of places, narrow runways led away from the main stage so that Bono could walk further out to the crowd and be surrounded on three sides by his adoring fans.

I don't remember the opening act, which leads me to believe that they were forgettable. If an opening band is good, I often seek out their music after the show. But I remember that despite being the beginning of spring, the general admission area was as hot and humid as the height of summer.

People were passing out and being carried away by security. Water was being sprayed on those fortunate enough to be within range of the garden hoses, but even that water added to the mugginess of the Civic Centre.

At one point, during the show, Bono appealled to the technicians and arena operators to do something about the heat. Several times, he asked that doors be opened and that the air-conditioning units be turned on. But for us in the thick of the packed crowd and sweltering heat, nothing changed. I had taken off my new shirt before U2 had hit the stage and clung onto it, waving it like a flag at the end of each number.

There was almost a sense of relief when the show ended and my friends and I made our way for the outdoor air. There had been moments when I thought I would have succumbed to the heat like so many others, but cool, fresh air awaited us as we headed toward the exit.

Because everyone in the general-admission area was so desperate to escape the heat, there was an almost panic-like rush to get out. I felt as though I was being carried in a current, rather than of my own volition.

And that's when I accidentally dropped my t-shirt.

I've always had fast reflexes and have often been able to catch something that I've dropped before it hits the ground. As the shirt left my grip, I stooped over to grab it before it was trampled by the exiting crowd.

Biggest mistake.

The person behind me, who was purposefully making his or her way forward, bumped into me and knocked me off balance. And then another person crashed into us. And so on. While I had managed to retrieve my t-shirt, I was now feeling the heavy weight of people on me and was unable to stand back up.

While I cannot quite say that I was starting to panic, I was aware that if I couldn't recover swiftly, I would start to panic. But as I reached that point, I felt a hand grab one of my arms and pull. The person who held onto me was also being moved by the crowd, so with a community effort, my friend was able to get me upright and prevent me from being further crushed.

It's funny: after all these years, I can't remember which of my friends rescued me. I tend to think it was my best friend, Stuart, but I also have memories of another friend, Rick, being there. And Rick was built like a quarter back and had the strength to pull me out from under the other fallen bodies.

I don't remember much about what happened immediately after. I hate to think of what might have been if my friend hadn't rescued me. But I remember the heat of the arena and the crush of the crowd as much as I remembered the show itself.

And I had the t-shirt to prove I had survived it.