musician electrocuted on stage

[JohnRoberts]

https://nypost.com/2024/07/20/enter...35-after-being-electrocuted-during-live-show/

These accidents don't happen very frequently but apparently still do.

GFCI protected backline can help human safety on stage. Not sure about exactly what happened in this case.

JR

 

[chrispbass]

Tragic John and thanks for sharing.

 

[fazer]

I got shocked off a mic in one of the early bands I played in (1969 Old bar in a mountain town). Had the guitar and my vocal mic. My lips touched the mic. I saw a white light and passed out waking up on the floor. Old 2 prong ac with no ground cord and 2 prong wired fender amps from early 60’s. The echo plex was the culprit with reverse plug ac. I was lucky and one of nine lives gone.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I got shocked off a mic in one of the early bands I played in (1969 Old bar in a mountain town). Had the guitar and my vocal mic. My lips touched the mic. I saw a white light and passed out waking up on the floor. Old 2 prong ac with no ground cord and 2 prong wired fender amps from early 60’s. The echo plex was the culprit with reverse plug ac. I was lucky and one of nine lives gone.

Early guitar amps using 2 wire line cords would sometimes try to bootleg capacitor couple the chassis ground to mains neutral (0v) through a switched "stinger" cap. If the switch was in the wrong position and connecting the chassis ground to line, it earned it's "stinger" name. Presumably the capacitor wouldn't deliver lethal current but stuff happens.

There are special safety "Class Y" capacitors engineered for this application and to fail open circuit.

JR

 

[pucho812]

Me friends in ozomatli, when touring the world as u.s. musical ambassadors had a moment on stage in Madagascar where their guitar player stepped up to the mic to sing and zap. He nearly died and was rushed to the hospital. Luckily he survived. They wrote a song about it.