A Philadelphia man fell 40ft to his death after apparently losing his balance and falling over an escalator he was crouched on while watching The Weeknd’s tour opening concert last week.
Hugo Sanchez, 32, suffered head trauma from Thursday’s fall and was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The tragic fall happened just before 11pm at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia – the first stop on The Weeknd’s North American tour.
Philadelphia police told his fall appears to have been an accident and “there is no suspicion of foul play”.
The Weeknd, who thanked Philadelphia for helping kick off the tour, went on to perform in New York and Boston. He did not mention the incident on social media.
The tour promoter is Live Nation, which was also the promoter of Travis Scott’s deadly Astroworld Festival in 2021 that resulted in 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Hugo Sanchez, 32, died after falling 40 feet down an escalator during The Weeknd’s tour opening concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 14
PHILLY: Sanchez fell just before 11pm at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia – the first stop of The Weeknd on his North American tour. The singer posted a “thank you” to fans on social media but did not mention the incident
Philadelphia police said Sanchez was sitting on an escalator rail when he lost his balance and fell about 40 feet.
Bob Lange, senior vice president of communications for the Philadelphia Eagles team that operates the Lincoln, told the New York Pots that the incident likely happened after the concert ended, as people exited the building.
Sanchez worked as a paralegal at The Rothenberg Law Firm and attended both Temple and Messiah Universities, according to his LinkedIn profile.
It happened at The Weeknd’s concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
Sanchez worked as a paralegal at The Rothenberg Law Firm and attended both Temple and Messiah Universities, according to his LinkedIn profile
NEW JERSEY: The Weeknd performed in East Rutherford, NJ over the weekend after a concert-goer tragically fell at his show on Thursday
Sanchez’ sister Karen Nayeli Sanchez posted a tribute to her brother on Facebook.
“Hugo Sanchez was the best big brother and he will be missed so much. Thank you to everyone who has reached out, we love you so much. There are no words, our hearts are broken.’
Friends who knew Sanchez said he was “full of life” and “full of energy.”
“Hugo was a great person. He would like to travel. He was a good friend,” Jammal Ransom told 6ABC.
He added that his friend is leaving a legacy of lust for life.
“Of course, have a good time while you’re here and make the most of it and all, but yeah, it’s just unfortunate,” Ransom said.
Family and friends will gather to remember Sanchez on Wednesday and Thursday
Sanchez’ sister Karen Nayeli Sanchez posted a tribute to her brother on Facebook
The Inquirer reports that Lincoln Financial Field sent an internal message to employees who worked at The Weeknd concert, offering the employees empathy and support.
“We are aware that a serious accident occurred at the concert last night and that many of you may be experiencing a range of emotions. We value our employees and are committed to supporting them. As a reminder, resources are available to help in difficult times.’
The Weeknd did not mention the incident on social media.
The Weeknd has yet to mention the incident on its social media accounts
Making it Big: This North American leg of the tour consists of 19 dates in total, culminating with two shows in Los Angeles on September 2nd and 3rd
Super Bowl inspiration: The Blinding Light star’s team was inspired by his Super Bowl halftime performance to move from arenas to stadiums after the original 2020 tour was postponed
His After Hours til Dawn tour was originally scheduled to kick off at Toronto’s Rogers Center but was delayed due to a nationwide power outage.
The After Hours Till Dawn Tour marks The Weeknd’s first-ever tour of the world playing stadiums and supports his fourth and fifth studio albums After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022).
After two years of preparation, the tour was originally scheduled to start in Vancouver on June 11, 2020 and end in London, England on November 16.
However, due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and health concerns surrounding indoor arena shows, all of the original dates have been postponed, rather than cancelled, in favor of an outdoor tour of all stadiums.
With much larger venues on the agenda, The Weeknd and his team had to revise almost every idea planned for the original 2020 tour.
And it turns out it was his most recent Super Bowl halftime performance that gave them the inspiration and confidence to make it big.
“We definitely took inspiration from — and expanded on — the Super Bowl performance,” revealed longtime creative director La Mar Taylor, adding, “There were so many constraints and constraints around this performance that we couldn’t bring the vision that we had for it could not fully realize. Now we can.’
Further stages are planned for Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America.