On December 3, 1979, 11 young people lost their lives in a stampede as fans rushed the doors of a Who concert at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio. This weekend, a 1973 Who concert will be streamed online to raise funds in memory of three of those 11 victims.
The 12th annual P.E.M. Memorial event — named after victims Stephan Preston, Jackie Eckerle and Karen Morrison — will help to fund three annual scholarships for graduating seniors from the victims’ alma mater, Finneytown High School. The scholarships will go to students who plan to major or minor in music or the arts.
The livestream event starts December 4 at 6:15pm ET, and includes the Who’s March 1973 show at Voorburg, Netherlands, which has never been seen before. It’ll be followed by a concert by the high school’s Alumni Band.
Visit PemMemorial.org to access the livestream. You can also donate at that link, or visit The Who’s official website for more information on how to donate.
The tragedy at the recent Astroworld festival in Houston — which left 10 people dead — has been compared by many to the Who concert tragedy. After those 1979 deaths, festival-style seating was banned at concerts, but has since returned at many venues, and at music festivals like Astroworld.
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