Band Performing When Fan Fell to His Death Issues First Statement After Tragedy

Rock band Goose said they are “reeling” after a fan fell to his death inside Madison Square Garden during their concert.

Paul Kueker, 51, reportedly fell about 150 feet during the jam band’s Saturday night performance at the New York City arena.

In an Instagram post shared Sunday, the group addressed the tragedy, writing: “We are all reeling following the events that occurred at last night’s show.”

“Getting off stage to learn that news was devastating for us and our crew, and we cannot imagine how some of you left the show feeling last night,” the statement continued.

The band’s message included both local and national crisis helpline information and noted that they are trying to arrange gatherings where therapists and grief counselors can be available.

Goose also said they are working through the Western Sun Foundation to create a fund aimed at offering support and resources to fans.

The band confirmed that its Sunday night performance in Central Park would proceed as scheduled, saying they hoped to “bring our community together.”

The statement concluded: “So let’s be kind to each other tonight and remember our friend.”

‘He was the greatest kid in the whole wide world,’ Kueker’s grieving mother, Patricia Finelli, told the New York Post through tears. 

‘He’d give you the shirt off his back,’ she added. ‘He has two children, a beautiful wife, and he took care of me like I was a piece of gold.’ 

The incident unfolded during the Connecticut band’s set on the second night of their two-show run at the iconic Manhattan venue.

According to the New York Police Department, officers responded to urgent reports of a fall inside the arena and found the man unconscious and unresponsive at 9.51pm.

Within moments, sections of seating were cordoned off as emergency responders made their way through the crowded venue.

Kueker was taken to Bellevue Hospital by an ambulance, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

One image of the aftermath, shared by a concertgoer, showed several seats caved in at the venue as police tape surrounded the scene.

The Chase Bridge, where Kueker dropped from, was constructed in 2013 and is a suspended walkway.

Witnesses described seeing the moment Kueker fell from the upper level into a lower seating bowl.

‘Someone fell. They took him away on a stretcher. They’re not letting us back in our section. 

‘They’re going in with mops and re-seating us. I’m section 102,’ one witness wrote in a thread about the incident.

Another who said they were present at the moment of the fall wrote: ‘We were there, my friend saw him fall to the section below us.’

Police said their investigation is still ongoing.

The rock fan, who worked as director of operations for the energy management company Smartcon Solutions, was with his wife at the concert, Fox News reported.

‘We are heartbroken by the sudden passing of Paul Kueker,’ William Brown, the general manager of Smartcon, said in a statement.

‘Paul meant the world to everyone at Smartcon. He was an extraordinary person and a valued member of our team, and the loss is felt deeply across our entire company. 

‘Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. He will be profoundly missed.’

The band later released a statement saying they were ‘heartbroken.’

‘We are deeply saddened and heartbroken to learn of the tragic event that occurred at last night’s show. We extend our deepest sympathy to everyone affected,’ they wrote.

The band also gave thanks to the emergency personnel and venue staff.

The group, made up of Rick Mitarotonda, Trevor Weeks, Peter Anspach and Cotter Ellis – is currently in the middle of a 27-date tour across 19 cities in the US and Canada.