A Philadelphia man plunged 40 feet to his death after apparently losing his balance and falling over an escalator he was sitting on while watching The Weeknd’s opening concert last week.
Hugo Sanchez, 32, suffered head trauma from the fall on Thursday and was rushed to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The tragic fall happened just before 11 p.m. at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, The Weeknd’s first stop on its North American tour.
The Philadelphia Police Department told DailyMail.com that his fall appears to have been accidental, with no crime involved.
The Weeknd, thanking Philadelphia for helping usher in the tour, performed in New York and Boston. He made no mention of the incident on social media.
The promoter of the tour is Live Nation, which also promoted Travis Scott’s deadly 2021 Astroworld Festival, which resulted in 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Hugo Sanchez, 32, died after falling 40 feet over an escalator during The Weeknd’s opening concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 14.
PHILLY: Sanchez fell just before 11 p.m. at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, The Weeknd’s first stop on its North American tour. The singer posted a ‘thank you’ to fans on social media, but made no mention of the incident
Philadelphia police said Sanchez was on an escalator when he lost his balance and fell about 40 feet.
Bob Lange, senior vice president of communications for the Philadelphia Eagles team, which operates the Lincoln, told the New York Pots that the incident likely happened after the concert was over as people exited the building.
Sanchez worked as a paralegal at The Rothenberg Law Firm and, according to his LinkedIn profile, attended both Temple and Messiah Universities.
It happened during 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 went on to perform in East Rutherford, NJ this weekend after a concertgoer tragically fell during his Thursday show
Sanchez’ sister Karen Nayeli Sanchez posted a tribute to her brother on Facebook.
“Hugo Sanchez was the best big brother and he will be so missed. Thank you to everyone who reached out to us, 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 wonderful person. He would like to travel. He was a good friend,” Jammal Ransom told 6ABC.
He added that his friend leaves a legacy of zest for life.
“Sure, have fun while you’re here and make the most of it and all, but yeah, it’s just a shame,” Ransom said.
Family and friends gather to commemorate Sanchez Wednesday and Thursday
Sanchez’s 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 on the The Weeknd concert, showing empathy and support to the employees.
“We understand that there was a serious accident 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 providing support. As a reminder, there are resources available to help in difficult times.”
The Weeknd has made no mention of the incident on social media.
The Weeknd has yet to mention the incident on its social media accounts
Go Big: In total, this North American leg of the tour consists of 19 dates ending with two shows in Los Angeles on September 2 and 3
Super Bowl Inspiration: The Blinding Light star’s team was inspired by his Super Bowl Halftime appearance to switch from arenas to stadiums after the original tour was postponed in 2020
His ‘After Hours til Dawn’ tour was originally supposed to start at the Rogers Center in Toronto, but was postponed due to a nationwide power outage.
The After Hours Till Dawn Tour is The Weeknd’s first-ever tour of the stadium-playing world, in support of his fourth and fifth studio albums After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022).
Two years in the making, the tour was originally set to begin June 11, 2020 in Vancouver and end November 16 in London, England.
Due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and health concerns related to indoor arena shows, all original dates were postponed, rather than cancelled, and rescheduled in favor of an outdoor all-stadium trek.
Due to the much larger venues on the list, The Weeknd and his team had to revamp almost all the ideas planned for the original 2020 tour.
And as it turns out, it was his recent Super Bowl Halftime appearance that gave them the inspiration and confidence to get big.
“We certainly took inspiration from the Super Bowl’s performance — and expanded it,” said creative director La Mar Taylor, who has been in business for years. Now we can.’
Additional stages are planned for Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America.