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Concertgoers alarmed after floor nearly buckles at St. Andrew's Hall

Posted at 5:47 PM, Mar 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-10 19:03:03-05

DETROIT (WXYZ) — A concert at Saint Andrew’s Hall in Detroit ended early Tuesday night after concerns that the floor might cave in.

The excitement happened during the Baby Keem concert. The city said events aren't allowed at the venue until the problem is resolved.

The Detroit’s chief enforcement officer says commercial buildings are inspected every two years in the. The last time Saint Andrew’s Hall was inspected was a year ago.

Officials told 7 Action News everything was fine until Tuesday's concert raised concerns.

"It could have gotten way worse. I'm glad we got out of there when we could," said Niles Boothe, who attended the Baby Keem concert Tuesday with friends.

Before the headliner took the stage, Boothe says he noticed something was off — the floor was bouncing.

"By the time Keem came on and started to perform his songs, you could feel the floor started bouncing a lot more. A lot more people, like kind of moshing in the middle," Boothe said. "It wasn't until maybe the fourth or fifth song, we started to see security guards waking through the crowds and kind of separating people."

According to Live Nation Entertainment, which operates Saint Andrews, a joint in the floor became loose as the crowd became excited. But the company says the floor did not buckle. As a safety precaution, the venue ended the performance 20 minutes early.

Live Nation says Baby Keem performed most of his scheduled time and only a few songs were not sung.

Jessica Parker, the city of Detroit chief's enforcement officer, says building inspectors met with the property owner Thursday morning.

"So, the property owner has a structural engineer coming out. Once he goes, assess the property, he's going to submit a report to us. Once we receive that report and any necessary repairs that needs to be made, that will happen,” Parker said. “Until those repairs are made, the city will not allow any scheduled events to occur at that property. We need to make sure that the public's safety is taken serious by the property owner."

Friday night, the artist Yola is scheduled to perform.

"We've already talked to the property owner. He's in the process of relocating that concert," Parker said.

7 Action News received this statement from Live Nation:

"The safety of our guests is always our top priority and the show was paused promptly. Everyone exited the venue safely and the artist was able to perform the majority of their show."

If you were planning to attend an event at Saint Andrews in the near future, be sure to check with Live Nation for updates.