By: Christie Eliezer
Four Deaths Mar Three Summer Festivals Down Under
Four deaths marred the return of three summer festivals Down Under. Two were at Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne, New Zealand, which drew a daily 30,000 Dec. 28-31.
Audio engineer David Peterson from Wavefront Audio, who was working at the festival, died of suspected heart failure.
Wavefront manager Milo Kerrigan explained, “Dave had injured his arm two days before, requiring a few stitches, and was on light duties as the system tech for the three stages we look after at R&V – typically, being the hard ass roadie that he was, he was back after a couple of hours patched up and soldiering on.” After set-up, Peterson had a nap in a van. When a crew member tried to wake him up, he was unresponsive.