Officials Work to Prevent Onstage Suicide at Rock Concert

By Liz Townsend

Rock band Hell on Earth shocked the nation when it announced that a fan would commit suicide onstage during a concert in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 4. Authorities, including the St. Petersburg City Council and a circuit court judge, worked to prevent the suicide through an ordinance and an injunction, but the band's lead singer continued to insist that "the show will go on."

Billy Tourtelot leads the Tampa-based band, which is known for offensive onstage stunts and crude lyrics, according to the St. Petersburg Times. The band advertised the onstage suicide in mid-September, announcing that an unidentified "terminally ill" fan would kill him or herself during Hell on Earth's October 4 show at State Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Times reported.

Tourtelot told Fox News Network that the band would not be "assisting" with the suicide, but merely providing a "comfortable" place for the person to die. He added that the intent was to protest Florida's laws against assisted suicide.

The band's announcement sparked an immediate and outraged reaction. "Whether it's a hoax, or a shameless way to garner publicity or a real threat, it breaks my heart to think about the wounds that are opened in Florida's families that have suffered with a loved one having committed suicide," said Gov. Jeb Bush, according to the Times. "Shame on the people for doing this."

The State Theatre quickly canceled the concert and denied any involvement or knowledge of the suicide plan. Owner Dave Hundley told the Times that St. Petersburg police warned about possible out-of-control crowd reactions or copycat suicides. "We deal with a lot of kids," owner Dave Hundley told the Times. "I don't want parents to ever worry that their children are at risk here."

On September 29, the St. Petersburg City Council unanimously passed an ordinance "that makes it illegal in the city to conduct a suicide for commercial or entertainment purposes, and to host, promote, and sell tickets for such an event," according to the Associated Press (AP). Council members said that they felt they had to act quickly. "While I still think it's a publicity stunt, we still couldn't sit idly by and let somebody lose their life," council member Bill Foster said.

However, Tourtelot continued to insist the suicide would take place. "The show will go on," Tourtelot told the AP after the ordinance was passed. "It will be available on the Internet, and it will be in the city limits [of St. Petersburg]."

In response, the city council took the band to court. Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge John C. Lenderman issued a temporary injunction October 3 barring Hell on Earth from performing or advertising the show, according to Rolling Stone.

State law enforcement officials have also evaluated the situation and are considering whether criminal charges could apply if the suicide occurs. "The Attorney General has also just weighed in and they believe this could also constitute assisted suicide under a state statute, which would be a second degree felony manslaughter charge with a 15-year prison sentence," St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker told Rolling Stone.

While authorities took the suicide announcement seriously, local Tampa Bay music experts derided the stunt as a little-known band attempting to gain publicity. "Interest has been intense, but only from reporters: the State Theatre in St. Petersburg said fewer than 10 tickets were sold before the show was canceled," Times pop music critic Gina Vivinetto wrote. "Three weeks ago, few other local bands had heard of Hell On Earth."

As NRL News went to press, it was unclear if the suicide had taken place on October 4 as advertised. Tourtelot told the AP that although Hell on Earth performed at an undisclosed location that night, the band's web site malfunctioned and was shut down. Tourtelot did not know whether the suicide, which was to have taken place at a separate location and broadcast on the Internet with Hell on Earth's music as accompaniment, actually occurred, the AP reported.

Officials announced that they will continue to monitor the group's web site.