Connecticut jam band Goose said they were devastated to learn, just after coming offstage, that a married father of two had died in a fall during their Madison Square Garden concert.
Paul Kueker, 51, plunged roughly 150 feet from the Chase Bridge shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday while Goose was performing the second night of its two-show run at the famed New York City arena.
“We are all reeling following the events that occurred at last night’s show,” the group wrote on Instagram Sunday evening, shortly before taking the stage for a sold-out performance at Central Park’s SummerStage.
“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.”
Kueker, who worked as director of operations for the energy management firm Smartcon Solutions, was at the concert with his wife, Kristen, to mark their upcoming 25th wedding anniversary, the New York Daily News reported.
NYPD officials told The Post that officers found Kueker “unconscious and unresponsive” after he fell from an “elevated position” inside Madison Square Garden. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Kueker, a resident of Niantic, Conn., fell from the venue’s third level after leaving to use the restroom, his mother, Patricia Finelli, told the outlet.
Finelli described her son as the “greatest kid in the whole wide world.”
EXCLUSIVE: Democrats Gather for Grand Opening of Obama Presidential Library
“He’d give you the shirt off his back,” she told The Post. “He has two children, a beautiful wife, and he took care of me like I was a piece of gold.”
Venue staff taped off and cleared at least seven rows in the area’s lower bowl where the fatal fall happened, according to fan photos shared on social media.
Goose — which consists of Rick Mitarotonda, Trevor Weeks, Peter Anspach, and Cotter Ellis — kicked off their show in Central Park with a 15-second moment of silence for Kueker.
“Just want to take a moment to address some of the tragic events that happened at last night’s show and extend our deepest condolences to Paul, his family, his friends and everyone who was affected by what happened,” Anspach said.
“In moments like this, you realize life is so fragile and we’re so lucky to have an incredible community here around us. Everybody, if you’re struggling with something, please don’t be afraid to reach out to somebody in your life or send us a message. Please. We got to help each other out. That’s why we’re here. People are meant to talk and be with people.”
The band said it weighed whether to play the concert in the wake of Kueker’s death.
“We considered whether or not we were going to play and came to the decision that the best thing we can do right now is bring our community together, lean on one another, and offer a space for healing,” Goose said in a statement earlier on social media. “So let’s be kind to each other tonight and remember our friend.”
Goose has since announced that it is working with grief counselors and licensed therapists to hold online therapy sessions for fans affected by the tragedy.
