Man plunges to death at Hansard concert
A man fell to his death on to a concert stage in front of Irish singer Glen Hansard and hundreds of horrified music fans in Northern California.
The band, The Swell Season, were playing an outdoor show in Saratoga when the incident took place on Thursday night.
Santa Clara County police said Michael Pickels, 32, of San Jose, left a friend in the audience around 10pm and soon appeared on a roof that covers the stage.
Authorities said today they were treating Mr Pickels’ death as suicide.
Witnesses say he jumped off the roof and landed on stage near the band’s lead singer Glen Hansard.
Mr Pickels was pronounced dead by a doctor who spent an hour trying to revive him.
The band, which includes Hansard and Czech pianist Marketa Irglova – the stars of the film 'Once' – extended their sympathies on their website.
Hansard, from Dublin, also appeared in the movie The Commitments.
