SANFORD, Fla. — The dance floor at The Barn in Sanford had to be evacuated after it began to collapse under the feet of thousands of concertgoers.
The band Upchurch was playing at the bar Saturday night. Video shows people in the audience jumping up and down on the floor moments before it gave way.
“He was singing one of his best-known songs and then all of a sudden they stopped the music,” said Julia Cole, who attended the concert.
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In cellphone video shot by Cole, you can hear bar staff telling people, “We broke the floor. Not even kidding, the floor is broke.”
“Everyone is like, ‘Is this real? Like, did this just happen?’ and he is like, ‘This is not a joke; everyone needs to get out now,’” Cole recounted.
Monday a sign outside the bar read, “Upchurch broke the floor.”
The owners of The Barn did not want to go on camera Monday but told Channel 9 it’s going to be at least two weeks before the bar can re-open.
#New: Manager at “The Barn” in Sanford told me bar will be closed for at least 2 weeks to repair the dance floor after it buckled during the Upchurch concert over the weekend. Structural Engineer is assessing the damage. Told no one hurt. #WFTV @upch pic.twitter.com/k8ccMSyz3o
— Jeff Levkulich (@jlevkulichWFTV) October 29, 2018
A structural engineer looked at the damage Monday morning. They are looking at the entire building, not just the dance floor. Engineers also plan to make the dance floor concrete so they don’t have to worry about something like this happening again.
Upon completion of the review, the engineers’ report will be submitted to the county building department.
The Barn has been in the news many times. In July, a Sanford police officer was placed on leave for performing a takedown maneuver on a man who was already handcuffed. The officer claimed he was elbowed by the suspect, a report later said.
In 2016, a performer was shot multiple times in the parking lot of The Barn moments after getting off the stage. In 2015, Sanford police said they had been called to The Barn more than 700 times in the previous 18 months.
One of the 2015 incidents was a fight in which a man was seen on surveillance video slamming another person to the concrete ground.
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Cox Media Group
