Rock Concert Murders Mark Somber Anniversary

This marks a pair of somber anniversaries for the music world.

First, it was five years ago that a man with a gun entered a rock concert in Columbus, Ohio and opened fire on the band and concertgoers.

Four people were killed before the gunman, Nathan Gale, was fatally shot by police. Among the victims was guitarist Darrell Abbott (billed variously throughout his career as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell).

Known for his work with Texas hard-rock outfit Pantera, Abbott was in town with his newest band, Damageplan, to perform a concert at the city’s venerably Alrosa Villa music hall. The guitarist was shot and killed while onstage. Many stunned onlookers thought the shooting might be an Alice Cooper-type theatrical stunt, but soon realized the event was no hoax.

It was a truly shocking event for anyone who was a fan of the band or the venue.

Thankfully, it is unlikely that an event like this will occur again.

December 8, 2009 marked the five-year anniversary of the unprecedented slaying. The city’s newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch, took the opportunity to reflect on the events with a moving photojournalistic piece that you can view in its entirety, here.

The concert hall was closed on the event’s anniversary as a tribute to the victims.

This weekend also marked the 40^th anniversary of Altamont. The infamous California concert festival organized by the Rolling Stones that resulted in violence, several deaths and endless rumors about the role played by Hell’s Angels, the infamous biker group that had allegedly been hired to act as security at the Woodstock-like event.

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