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Damage tour dates 2024

Damage is currently touring across 1 country and has 4 upcoming concerts.

Their next tour date is at O2 Institute2 Birmingham in Birmingham, after that they'll be at O2 Academy 2 Liverpool in Liverpool.

Currently touring across

Upcoming concerts (4) See nearest concert

O2 Institute2 Birmingham

O2 Academy 2 Liverpool

O2 Academy Islington

O2 Academy2 Leicester

Past concerts

Blackheath Common

Ashton Gate Stadium

Theatre Royal, Castlemaine - Cinema

View all past concerts

Recent tour reviews

A solid group of friends throughout their childhood, Rahsaan J Bromfield, Jade Jones, Noel Simpson and Andrez Harriott (and former member Coreé Richards) together formed the group ‘Damage’ in 1995. To kick off their career, the group did a cover of Jackson Five’s ‘Anything’ to Big Life Records in 1995 and although impressed by their music, they waited eighteen months before being given their first record.

Records including “Ghetto Romance” and “Still Be Lovin’ You” that were set to be a mix of Garage and R&B were a club faze as the band became prominent for slagging down fellow music competition – including Craig David. As they squeeze in to a majority of genres including Pop-Rock, R&B, Garage, Urban and Dance-Pop the band rapidly reaped in a lot of fans and especially with the member Jade Jones and her close friendship with Baby Spice (Emma Bunton), their second single “Love II Love" peaked at number 12, whereas in the Christmas period their follow-up single “Forever” – which peaked at number 6 – was caught by the ear of Simon Cowell, who gave the groups producer, Steven Mac, a promotion in becoming Chief Songwriter-Producer for Cowell’s future projects.

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Damage Inc was hand-selected by Metallica to perform as part of Metallica's 2023 M72 World Tour Weekend Takeover event, ...And Tributes for All, performing every Saturday of Metallica's North American Tour as well as their 40th Anniversary San Francisco Weekend Takeover in 2021.

Also seen on AXS TV’s “The World's Greatest Tribute Bands”, Damage Inc, Southern California's Tribute to Metallica, is the foremost Metallica tribute band in the United States. 

Formed in 2004 by Southern California natives and brothers, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist Chris Knight and bassist Kevin Knight. Over the course of their 20+ year career, they have performed over 500 electrifying concerts for Metallica fans across the US, Canada, and Mexico!

Equipped with an extensive library spanning Metallica’s entire catalog, from their timeless classics to today's hits, Damage Inc captivates their audiences with their authentic representation of the pulse-pounding intensity of a live Metallica concert.

For over 20 years, international Metallica tribute band, Damage Inc Southern California's Tribute to Metallica, has performed for tens of thousands of fans across the US, Canada and Mexico.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Selected by Metallica to support the bands 2023 M72 World Tour's Weekend Takeover Event, ...And Tributes for All, in New York, Montreal, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, St Louis, and Detroit.

Selected by Metallica to perform at ...And Tributes for All concert in San Francisco as part of Metallica's San Francisco Weekend Takeover 2021.

Featured on AXS.tv's WORLD'S GREATEST TRIBUTE BANDS - Season 1

Featured on AXS.tv's WORLD'S GREATEST TRIBUTE BANDS - Season 8

Named one of LA Weekly's top 20 tribute bands (2015)

Metallica Fan Club Chapter Parties (2005, 2007, 2009, 2015)

Reviewed in the official Metallica Fan Club magazine  "So What!"

Performed at the Honda Center for the LA KISS Arena Football game

Tours in Mexico, Georgia, Arizona, Las Vegas, Texas, Washington and South Dakota

96.7 KCAL Kegger in Redlands (regular rotation since 2009)

Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet (regular rotation since 2008)

House of Blues Anaheim and Hollywood (regular rotation since 2007)

Danny Koker's Count's Vamp'd Las Vegas (regular rotation since 2013)

Private party for Dave Grohl's footwear company launch party  (2008)

Toys for Tots Benefits yearly since 2007

Featured in documentary "Rock-n-Roll Swap Meet"

CD has sold over 8,000 units, 240,000+ streams

Damage Inc. Tour

The Damage, Inc. Tour was the fourth concert tour by American Heavy Metal band Metallica , beginning in the Spring of 1986. The name being inspired by the last song on the touring album Master of Puppets . The album's release landed Metallica on a high profile supporting act gig for metal giant, Ozzy Osbourne , from March to August. From September to the end of the tour Metallica would be the headlining act. The tour would also be the last to feature the late Cliff Burton on bass, as he would be killed in a bus accident on September 27, 1986. The band would cancel all shows scheduled for October, during that time they would seek out a new bass player, eventually finding Jason Newsted .

The Meadowlands Arena show marked one of few Eb-tuned live performances prior to Escape from the Studio '95 ; the A448 standard was used for this performance.

• 1.1 With Cliff Burton
• 1.2 With Jason Newsted
• 2 Tour Dates
• 4.1 March 27 - ?, September 26, 1986
• 4.2 July 27 - September 25, 1986
• 4.3 November 8, 1986 - February 13, 1987
• 5 References

Typical Setlist [ ]

With cliff burton [ ].

• Master of Puppets
• For Whom the Bell Tolls
• Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
• The Thing That Should Not Be
• (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth
• Damage, Inc.
• Fade to Black
• Seek & Destroy
• Creeping Death
• The Four Horsemen
• Guitar Solo
• Am I Evil? Diamond Head cover

With Jason Newsted [ ]

• Ride the Lightning
• Fight Fire With Fire

Tour Dates [ ]

• ↑ Show cancelled after James Hetfield broke his arm stakeboarding.
• ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 Show cancelled after the death of Cliff Burton during a tragic bus accident.

Songlist [ ]

Personnel [ ], march 27 - , september 26, 1986 [ ].

• James Hetfield - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
• Kirk Hammett - Lead Guitar
• Cliff Burton - Bass
• Lars Ulrich - Drums

July 27 - September 25, 1986 [ ]

• James Hetfield - Vocals
• John Marshall - Rhythm Guitar

November 8, 1986 - February 13, 1987 [ ]

• Jason Newsted - Bass

References [ ]

• 1 Dave Mustaine
• 2 Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (song)
• 3 Metal Up Your Ass (demo)

• Sat 16 Nov Birmingham, O2 Institute Damage View tickets
• Thu 21 Nov O2 Academy Liverpool Damage View tickets
• Fri 22 Nov London, O2 Academy Islington Damage View tickets
• Fri 29 Nov O2 Academy Leicester Damage View tickets

• AV Undercover

Lady Gaga dancer says he suffered permanent hearing damage on tour and no one did anything

Dancer graham breitenstein alleges that he lost 70 percent of the hearing in his left ear during gaga's monster ball tour.

Graham Breitenstein—a former dancer for Lady Gaga who participated in multiple tours—is telling his story in the hopes that he can save other young dancers some of the pain and hardship he’s experienced. In a series of Instagram videos posted over the weekend, Breitenstein alleges that he lost 70% of the hearing in his left ear while performing on Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour —his first major professional gig—somewhere around 2010.

According to Breitenstein, during one show on the tour’s European leg, his left ear sounded like “the crowd was in my ear the whole time.” The dancers weren’t given in-ear monitors on the tour, he explained, so he was forced to experience the raw noise of the crowd night after night.

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Breitenstein initially visited a “rock doc”—a doctor brought on tour for the primary purpose of doing whatever is needed to get a dancer back on stage rather than providing lasting medical treatment—who found fluid in his ear and gave him medication to treat it, but encouraged him to keep performing. (The tour apparently didn’t have any understudies.) When the problem persisted, Breitenstein asked to see a specialist but says he wasn’t given the opportunity to do so for approximately six weeks, during which he continued to perform.

When Breitenstein did finally see an appropriate doctor, he was told that he had permanently lost 70 percent of the hearing in his left ear. “It could have been reversed if it was treated in the first two weeks of the onset with a direct shot of steroids. But we were six weeks [in], and it was too late,” he shared. “I would have to live the rest of my life with 30 percent of hearing in my left ear and full hearing in my right ear. So to say that I was devastated… is an understatement.”

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After receiving this diagnosis, Breitenstein turned to his friend Richy Jackson, Gaga’s assistant choreographer at the time, who told him not to say anything about his condition because he would get fired. ( Jackson has been accused of fostering a toxic workplace by several other dancers he’s worked with , all of whom said Gaga knew nothing of the situation.) But while he managed to secure good in-ears (after some pushback) and continued to perform with Gaga on subsequent tours and even during her 2017 Super Bowl halftime show , Breitenstein says he was ridiculed by other dancers for his condition, who would liken him to Alma, a deaf character from Sister Act.

Breitenstein also had a negative experience with LiveNation, which he says immediately denied him worker’s comp and intimidated him with several lawyers when he asked for it, despite the fact that he had proof of his condition from his doctor. “I didn’t understand how I could be denied worker’s compensation when the writing was all there. [It was] on tour, on stage when this happened,” he said.

According to Breitenstein, Lady Gaga was never made aware of any of this. He does say he received a request for a one-on-one conversation when the singer switched management teams, to which he responded with a “six page” recounting of events, but nothing ever came of it.

As of this writing, neither Lady Gaga nor LiveNation have made a statement regarding Breitenstein’s claims. Neither party immediately responded to The A.V. Club ’s requests for comment on this story.

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Louisiana leaders tour damage left by Hurricane Francine

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Dual Damage | Official Website

Phil Collins, Genesis kick off final US tour: 'We’re not like the Stones'

Genesis fans , you have your notice.

Though the title of the band’s current tour, “The Last Domino?,” suggests an open-ended future, its members have confirmed that this is the final road run for an outfit that helped define prog-rock in the ’70s and reinvented itself to tremendous pop success in the MTV-driven ’80s.

Since the start of the tour in Europe this fall, frontman Phil Collins , 70, whose drumming imbued Genesis with its characteristic sound, has performed seated on stage, the result of debilitating nerve damage that affects his hands and back.

Collins’ 20-year-old son, Nicholas, is replacing his dad behind the drums.

Keyboardist Tony Banks, and bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford , both 71 and co-founders of the band that boasted Peter Gabriel as its inaugural lead singer (he departed after “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” album in 1974), are at peace with the reality of finality. Rutherford, though, is well aware that there “will be a lot of tears” when that last gig wraps in 2022.

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Genesis’ U.S. tour - its first since 2007 - kicks off Monday with two nights at the United Center in Chicago before roaming North America for more than a dozen shows, including Washington, D.C., Toronto, Detroit, Philadelphia and New York.

Rutherford said no West Coast dates are planned, which means Genesis’ March 2022 European concerts, including three makeup dates – necessitated after COVID-19 infected their ranks – in London March 24-26, will be the end.

Genesis will also be joined on stage by longtime touring guitarist Daryl Stuermer . The band hopes its visually arresting show satisfies its generations of fans with a set list that includes ’70s favorites “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe),” “The Cinema Show,” “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” and ’80s radio smashes “Land of Confusion,” “Invisible Touch,” “That’s All”.

Rutherford and Banks talked to USA TODAY shortly before the U.S. tour launch for a candid chat:

Question: There has obviously been concern for Phil’s strength and stamina. How has he been enduring the road?

Mike Rutherford:   He’s done well. Funny enough, we almost got through the (European) tour and I got COVID, but Phil was perfect. He’s doing fine. When you see the show, he definitely holds the crowd.

Q: What were some of the challenges for both of you to adapt to your frontman being seated?

Tony Banks: We spent a lot of time thinking about the vocals and slightly changed the emphasis of the set so it’s a bit less instrumental. Nic really plugs the gap very well and the visuals work in a way that a seated Phil isn’t as noticeable.

Rutherford: In a way, we’re lucky with what you can do with screens now, how it can make it feel like movement with close-ups. People come to the show and say they forget Phil isn’t moving around.

Q: Nicholas is, by all accounts, doing a phenomenal job. What was it like for you to get used to someone else behind the drum kit?

Banks: He’s a very versatile drummer and can sound like Phil when he was 18, 19 years old. He’s able to get that same kind of feel, so much so that it’s uncanny at times like you’re playing with a young Phil. And he’s a lovely person to have on tour.

Rutherford: In fact, when we first started rehearsing pre-pandemic, Nic arrived so prepared. It was fantastic. He knew all the songs backward and forward. He was solid from day one.

Banks: He did know the stuff very well, but once he had to learn (more of the catalog), he worked really hard at it. He wants to do the job and was very excited about doing the Genesis stuff.

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Q: Choosing the set list had to be a massive challenge because the two chapters of Genesis sound very, very different and I would think you have fans from those different eras. What was that process like?

Rutherford: You have the long songs and the short hits, which you know you’ll play. It’s more the optional songs (that are the challenge). Our history in the last 30-odd years has been since MTV when the hits overshadowed the rest of the album. But onstage the long songs were always very popular.

Banks: People aren’t quite as divided as you suggest. It blends into one for us and there are many people in the audience who like it all. You’re always going to leave out someone’s favorite song, so you try to balance it out.

Q: There is a question mark at the end of the tour name, but Phil has said this is his last outing. Do you agree this is probably it for Genesis and the road?

Banks: I think it is. We’d always say never say never, but there comes a point. I haven’t toured myself since (the last Genesis reunion in) 2007, and thought, why not? It’s fun, it will get me off my (butt). But with the pandemic, it has extended things longer than intended, but it’s been great fun to do. We’ve having to do some stuff later because of COVID, but when we do the final show next year, that will be it.

Rutherford: I think there will be a lot of tears. It will be an emotional moment if you know it’s going to be our final song. Genesis has been all of my life, 50 or 60 years, and it will be something I miss. It’s been nice for the three of us to spend some reconnected time together. It makes you solidify things. There are things that that only the three of us understand because we lived it.

Banks: We thought the 2007 tour would be the end, and this was never planned, so it was a nice thing to have happened. But it’s important to know when to stop something. I thought the other day, Ed Sheeran is playing four nights at Wembley Stadium (in 2022) and that’s a wonderful moment in his career. We hit that moment 35 years ago. So I’d say if you want to see Genesis, don’t put it off ‘til the next one. We’re not like the (Rolling) Stones.

DAMAGEPLAN Shooting: What Happened The Night DIMEBAG Was Murdered?

The following story by John Futty was published in the January 16, 2005 edition of The Columbus Dispatch :

His high-pitched scream spoke to all of the things William Wever couldn't say.

"It was like he suddenly realized, 'I've got another man's blood on me,' " said his friend Crystal Levings , 25, of Mount Vernon.

Wever was cleaning the blood from his hands, face and clothing in the Alrosa Villa bathroom when he was struck by the horror he had witnessed.

Like other fans at the heavy-metal concert by DAMAGEPLAN , he had watched a gunman shoot guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott in the back of the head, then turn the gun on those who tried to intervene. For reasons he can't explain, Wever climbed onstage to try to save a bleeding victim, even as the gunman, Nathan Gale of Marysville, continued shooting.

"I have no clue why I jumped up there," said Wever , a 33-year old Mount Vernon man who is trained in CPR for his job in store security. "I wasn't thinking anything. I just did it."

Gale was waving a handgun behind a wall of amplifiers as Wever began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the victim while another fan, Jimmy Van Fossen of Reynoldsburg, did chest compressions. Both assumed they were working on Dimebag .

But even that was a matter of confusion. The men recently learned that the victim they were trying to save was Jeff "Mayhem" Thompson , DAMAGEPLAN 's security chief, who died later at Riverside Methodist Hospital .

Other fans had dragged Dimbag off the stage and onto the floor, where they attempted CPR until paramedics arrived and pronounced him dead.

Confusion continues to swirl around the night of Dec. 8, when Gale rushed onto the stage of the North Side nightclub during DAMAGEPLAN 's opening song.

In the three minutes of chaos that between the first shot from his Beretta 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and a Columbus police officer's shotgun blast that killed Gale , the gunman fatally shot four people and wounded three others.

"It was mass hysteria," said Van Fossen , a 35-year old EMT who was one of the fans closest to the stage when the shooting began.

Ty Stewart , a Worthington firefighter and paramedic who was among the first responders, described the scene as "organized chaos."

The Dispatch interviewed more than three dozen witnesses, rescue workers and law-enforcement officers to clarify what happened that night.

The picture that emerges is of a mentally ill man determined to kill and a number of individuals willing to risk their lives to stop the shooting or assist the gravely wounded.

The daylight hours of that Wednesday had passed with the mundane routines of a rock club preparing for a show.

DAMAGEPLAN 's tour bus had arrived in the parking lot early that afternoon after an overnight drive from a gig in Buffalo, N.Y. Long before the Alrosa doors were to open, while DAMAGEPLAN 's crew began setting up and the band relaxed on the bus, a few hard-core fans began to show up.

Kevin McMeans , 26, of Hilliard, arrived about 1:45 p.m. determined to meet Abbott and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott , before they went inside.

The Texas siblings were stars of the heavy-metal world, gaining fame with the band PANTERA , which they formed in 1982. The group's down-tuned sound evolved into a relentless hybrid of punk and speed-metal and the band began playing big heavy-metal festivals, including Ozzy Osbourne 's Ozzfest . PANTERA 's 1994 album "Far Beyond Driven" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award .

With his high-pitched, lightning-quick, Eddie Van Halen -inspired solos, Dimebag was one of metal's most influential guitarists by the time PANTERA disbanded in 2002. The brothers then formed DAMAGEPLAN with lead singer Patrick Lachman and bassist Bob "Zilla" Kakaha .

Once featured in stadium shows, the brothers and their new band were working smaller halls such as the Alrosa, a modest, stucco-sided club at 5055 Sinclair Rd. that has featured local and national metal acts for more than three decades.

Vinnie Paul stepped off the bus about 3:40 p.m. the day of the show, followed about 50 minutes later by Dimebag . McMeans chatted with the brothers, who were known for mingling with fans, and got their autographs on several CD booklets. Dimebag joked about the leopard-print jacket and fuzzy multi-colored hat he was wearing while a crew member prepared to snap a photo.

"This picture will be a classic," the guitarist told McMeans as they flashed the two-fingered heavy-metal salute. [see Dimebag 's final photos here ]

McMeans wasn't the only person who came looking for the brothers behind the club.

A man later identified as Nathan Gale approached the bus shortly before the band took the stage to ask if the brothers were on board.

Aaron Barns , the group's sound man, told him the Abbotts were already inside.

Before the doors of the club opened, three other men met up in the parking lot to share beers.

Billy Clark had com east from New Carlisle, a small city north of Dayton, while his Army buddy John Muirhead had traveled from his home in the northern Pennsylvania town of Snow Shoe.

The friends had trained at Ft. Campbell, Ky., and served together for six months in Afghanistan. Clark also spent six months in Iraq.

Clark , 23, and Muirhead , 25, were there as fans of PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN , but it was the first heavy-metal show for Clark 's other friend, Troy McKelvey of Dublin.

" Billy had been talking about Dimebag for three weeks," said McKelvey , 27, who also served in the Army. "He was pumping it up, telling me Dimebag was the greatest."

They watched the four warm-up bands, moving closer to the stage as the time approached for DAMAGEPLAN to begin performing.

Alrosa can accommodate up to 700 music fans, some of whom mingle around the pool tables and bar near the front of the nightclub, but most of whom descend into the mosh pit — a sunken floor where fans sometimes collide to the music— and squeeze toward the stage.

By the time DAMAGEPLAN took the stage around 10:15 p.m., Clark was standing against the chest-high, metal barricade separating the crowd of about 400 fans from the stage.

The band was playing it's opening song, "Breathing New Life" , when Gale — a 6 foot-5, 268–pound semipro football player wearing a Blue Jackets jersey and blue jeans — emerged from behind the 7½-foot-high wall of amplifiers and headed across the stage for Dimebag . With many in the crowd thinking they were witnessing a stunt, Gale pulled a handgun fired three shots at close range into the back of the guitarist's head and another that struck his hand.

Dimebag collapsed, his right leg twisting awkwardly under his body, his head and shoulders toward the crowd. Feedback screeched from his guitar.

As patrons realized it was no stunt, the club erupted in chaos.

Some fans and crew members moved to grab Gale or help Dimebag while others headed for the exits, toppling tables and chairs adjacent to the pit. At least 10 people placed frantic calls to 911, several from inside the club.

"The person is still loose with the gun," a breathless Lisa Moore , 42, of Columbus, told an operator as she fled the club. "Please hurry, please." [download an audio file containing some of the 911 emergency calls that were placed as the tragic events of Dec. 8 were unfolding at this location ]

Alrosa security guards think Gale , 25, got inside by scaling a 6-foot wooden fence on the north side of the club. One saw him enter through a patio door and work his way through the crowd toward the stage.

A longtime PANTERA fan, he had no previous history of violence. But his mother and a former employer have said that Gale told them he was discharged from the Marines because of a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.

His mother, Mary Clark , also has said he was not taking medication for his illness — a claim confirmed by an autopsy conducted by the Franklin County coroner's office, which found no trace of drugs in Gale 's system.

Former acquaintances in Marysville said the symptoms of his illness included claims that PANTERA had stolen some of his songs.

Gale was discharged from the Marines in October 2003, less than two years into a four-year stint. Military records appear to link the discharge with his weight. One document from April 2003 criticized him for weighing 243 pounds, 23 pounds above his permitted maximum.

His mother bought him the gun he used at the Alrosa ad a Christmas gift during his military service and before his illness was diagnosed.

Clark said she won't tell the story of his life.

"Nothing I say about him is going to erase what happened in the end, in those few minutes," she said. "People don't want to hear it. They'll just think, 'Well, she's the mom, what else is she going to say?"

"I'm sorry for what happened, I'm sorry for those people who were killed, but I lost a son, too.

With more than 200 interviews to sort through, Columbus police detectives are still figuring out the details of what happened after Gale shot Dimebag .

"We may never know exactly," said Sgt. Jeff Sacksteder .

Witnesses speak of a struggle on stage, with one or more fans or crew members wrestling with Gale after Dimebag fell.

The commotion — and the sound of more gunfire — moved behind the wall of amplifiers on the right side of the stage and out of view for many concertgoers.

Lachman , the band's singer, leaped off the front of the stage and told fans that what was happening was real and to call 911.

Witnesses think all of the victims after the 38-year-old Dimebag were trying to help the guitarist or subdue the gunman.

Thompson , the 40-year-old crew member who some say was the first to grab Gale , was shot twice in the body and once in the leg.

Erin Halk , a 29-year-old Alrosa employee from Columbus, was shot four times in the chest, once in the hand and once in the leg.

Nathan Bray , a 23-year-old fan from Grove City who apparently had jumped onstage, and Chris Paluska , 39, DAMAGEPLAN 's tour manager, each were shot once in the chest.

John Brooks , 34, the band's drum technician, was shot twice in the leg. A bullet also grazed the arm of Travis Burnett of Gahanna, 23, a crew member for VOLUME DEALER , one of the warm-up bands.

As victims fell, others tried to grab them and pull them to safety.

Billy Clark was among the fans who climbed over the barricade and reached for Dimebag . He put one knee on the stage for leverage and shouted for his friends, Muirfield and McKelvey , to help.

"I said, 'We've got to get him out of here. He's still a target.'

"I'm not sure if the soldier in me took over. He was up there bleeding and needed help."

The trio and at least one other man pulled Dimebag off the stage and carried him to the floor, where Clark began CPR after searching unsuccessfully for a pulse.

Mindy Reece , a 28-year-old Columbus nurse, was scrambling from the mosh pit with a friend when she turned and saw Dimebag being carried from the stage. She went to his side, identified herself as a nurse and asked for someone's shirt to place against Dimebag 's wounds.

McKelvey pulled off his T-shirt, which they slipped under the guitarist's head.

Meanwhile, Van Fossen and a friend, Andy Meravy of Gahanna, worked their way from a spot on a platform left of the stage to Thompson . The bodyguard, a giant of a man at 6-foot-8 and 346 pounds, was on his back on the right side of the stage, one of his feet dangling off the edge.

Van Fossen , who has worked for two Columbus hospitals, detected a weak pulse and began chest compressions. Wever quickly climbed onto the stage beside him. He could see Gale behind the speakers, waving the handgun.

"I'm certified in CPR," Wever told Van Fossen and began mouth-to-mouth after Meravy , also trained in CPR, cleared Thompson 's airway.

"I had to spit blood out a couple of times," Wever said.

As sporadic gunfire continued, Meravy convinced Van Fossen that they needed to leave. Outside the back door, they bumped into Columbus Police Officer James D. Niggemeyer .

Niggemeyer had just started his shift at the 18th Precinct, about 2 miles away at Morse and Karl roads, when the report of shots fired at the club came in at 10:18 p.m.

He pulled into the Alrosa parking lot, grabbed the 12-gauge shotgun that police are trained to use even in situations that involve crowds, and headed for the back door of the club. Meanwhile other officers ran past panicked concertgoers fleeing through front and side doors.

"People were screaming, 'Get in there, get in there. He's killing people,' " said Officer Ricky Crum , who head three or four shots as he approached the building.

When Gale realized officers were closing in, he grabbed one of his victims and began using him as a shield. A handful of bystanders, some onstage, pointed at Gale and screamed for officers to shoot him…

"He got spooked and started retreating," said Officer Kevin G. Ferencz . "That could have been just pure by luck, but I believe he did see some of us coming at him."

Crum , armed with a shotgun and climbing steps on the left side of the stage, thinks that Gale was preparing to fire at officers in the pit when Niggemeyer stepped through the stage door.

With the shotgun raised, Niggemeyer moved around the abandoned drum set and killed Gale with a single blast of lead pellets to the face.

"I had to do it. I had to do it," he immediately told bystanders and fellow officers.

Niggemeyer has not publicly discussed the incident because it still must be reviewed by a grand jury, as is standard protocol for al fatal shootings by police officers.

Meravy , who was among the concertgoers who witnessed the scene, said, "He seemed floored that he had to do it."

Niggemeyer 's shot took on added significance last week, when police revealed that Gale had enough ammunition to do much more violence.

Another five rounds remained in Gale 's gun, and he was carrying 30 more live rounds. Sacksteder said the gunman had fired 10 shots, reloaded the magazine and fired five more rounds before he was killed.

"He had the gun in his armpit and he was putting bullets in the clip," recalled Marvin Woodruff , of Mount Vernon, who attended the concert with Wever . "It seemed like it took two seconds to reload that gun."

After Gale went down, Crum saw the hostage scramble away and roll off the front of the stage.

Some of the bystanders who remained on the stage had to be ordered out of the building after they cursed at and kicked Gale 's body, Crum said.

Although investigators have declined to name the hostage, Barns , the club's sound man, identified him as Brooks , the band's drum technician. Officers who responded to the scene have said the hostage had gunshot wounds in the leg, which is consistent with Brooks ' injuries.

He and the other surviving victims have declined interview requests.

" Jim ( Niggemeyer ) prevented further injuries and deaths," Crum said.

"The suspect wasn't going to stop unless someone stopped him."

After the shooting had ended, Lt. Rick Schoch of the Columbus Fire Division was the first paramedic to enter the club, walking through the same patio door that Gale used on his way to the stage.

"There was an overall feeling of shock and despair and agony about what had just happened," he said.

Dimebag was on the floor, Thompson and Halk were on the stage and Bray was in the dressing room. He considered all to be in level-one trauma, or critical condition. Gale was pronounced dead.

Columbus firefighters Mark Williams and Bryan Cross arrived aboard Medic 24 six minutes after the first report of shots fired and took their stretcher and other equipment through the patio door.

"People were still leaving," Williams said. "Some were screaming, some seemed to be in shock, with blank stares on their faces."

Schoch directed Williams and Coss to Dimebag 's body. They found Reece , the Columbus nurse, performing CPR, and asked her to continue while they hooked up monitors and checked his condition.

He was pronounced dead within minutes. "His heart activity had stopped," Williams said.

Williams and Coss then moved to the small dressing room, stepping over Gale 's body to reach Bray . He was alive, with a bullet wound to the chest, but died after they took him to Riverside.

On stage, Tinnerman and two other firefighters from Worthington determined that Halk was dead.

Nearby, Clinton Township Firefighters Chris Biasella and Kellie Ruetsch found Van Fossen and Wever performing CPR on Thompson .

"Dude, we had a pulse right before you got here," Van Fossen told Biasella .

With the help of police officers, they moved Thompson from stage onto a gurney. Van Fossen continued chest compressions until Thompson was loaded onto the Clinton Township rescue squad for the trip to Riverside, where he was pronounced dead.

Paramedics found tour manager Paluska slumped against a vehicle in the parking lot, still conscious but with a serious chest wound. Brooks , the drum tech, wound up on the band's bus after fleeing the club.

Both men were taken to Riverside, where they recovered from their injuries.

Burnett was treated at the scene for a bullet that grazed his arm, but he declined transport.

The remaining members of DAMAGEPLAN haven't spoken publicly since the attack. For many of the other people who witnessed the devastation of that night, the memories are unforgettable.

Niggemeyer , in his only comment to The Dispatch , said he is dealing with the killing, "as good as can be expected."

Alrosa manager Rick Cautela remembers his last view of Dimebag 's brother, Vinnie Paul , who took refuge in the club's front bar.

"He was wrapped in a blanket, and he was clutching Dimebag 's guitar."

Justin Caudill , of Mansfield, a fan who tried unsuccessfully to pull Dimebag off the stage, cried off and on for a week after the shootings.

"I'm a 28-year-old metalhead covered with tattoos and this is killing me," he said at the time.

"My life's changed, man. I'll move on from it, but it will never go away."

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The new Individual Assistance updates only apply to disasters declared on or after March 22, 2024. Read about the updates.

FEMA Administrator Surveys Damage in Louisiana, Federal Partners and Voluntary Agencies Are Supporting Response Efforts

WASHINGTON -- Today, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell travelled to Louisiana and met with Gov. Jeff Landry and other state and local officials. Officials surveyed damage caused by Hurricane Francine and met with impacted individuals. The visit includes stops in areas most affected by the storm to assess the situation and address immediate recovery needs.

“I am here today to see firsthand what the impacts are to these communities, hear from people that have been impacted, so we know what type of additional assistance they may need as we go forward,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “As you’re out there cleaning up and assessing your homes, make sure that you are looking out for yourself and then make sure you are also checking in on your neighbors and your loved ones to make sure they’re safe, because there are so many other hazards out there.”

As thousands remain without power, FEMA urges people to stay off roads, if possible, to allow emergency workers to do their jobs, avoid down power lines and use generators safely to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and other hazards. If it is safe to do so, check on neighbors and others in your community who may need extra assistance now that the storm has passed.

FEMA, the federal family and partner organizations are actively coordinating response efforts across the affected regions. More than 700 federal personnel are actively supporting the state-led response, including over 120 search and rescue crew members. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has deployed a temporary emergency power team, along with more than 30 personnel providing essential engineering and public works support to help restore power. 

The American Red Cross and The Salvation Army are collaborating with local officials and partners to deliver food, shelter and other relief supplies to those affected by the storm. Additionally, Team Rubicon has pre-positioned a route clearance team outside the storm’s path. These volunteers are ready to clear roads to help first responders and people maintain access to essential services.

STORM DAMAGE and downed trees reported across capital region

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Fallen trees, debris, and downed power lines are littered across parts of the capital region and surroinding areas after Hurricane Francine moved through the area on Wednesday night, Sept. 11.

Officials in East Baton Rouge Parish are working to clear the following areas that have been reported with down trees.

The St. George Fire Department reported large trees and electric poles blocking multiple roads.

LIVINGSTON PARISH

A power box sparking in Denham Springs was caught on camera.

According to the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, trees fell across roads. The fire department reported a tree on a home in Watson.

ST. MARY PARISH

In Morgan City, one person captured the storm ripping off the awning of their home.

The hurricane ripped off the roof of one home in Morgan City.

A tree fell onto a home during the hurricane.

Some people captured the moment the trees fell on their properties.

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH

A tree fell next to a home on Magnolia Woods in Baton Rouge.

A tree fell on a house on South Burgess Drive.

High water was reported off of Burbank Drive.

ASCENSION PARISH

A massive tree was uprooted in Ascension Parish off Hwy 621.

A power pole fell across Highway 405 in Donaldsonville.

A fallen tree causes a road closure in Gonzales.

Livingston Parish

Residents reported the flooding of Union Landing Road in Livingston Parish during the hurricane.

WEST FELICIANA PARISH

A tree fell across a yard in St. Francisville.

ASSUMPTION PARISH

During the storm, power arcing was captured on camera in Pierre Part.

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Copyright 2024 WAFB. All rights reserved.

1 dead, multiple injured in crash on Greenwell Springs Road in Central

Widespread POWER OUTAGES reported across southeast La. due to Francine

SCHOOLS to remain closed due to Hurricane Francine impact

62 cars involved in fire at Copart in Central overnight

Local forecast improves as Francine moves away

ROAD CLOSURES: List of state roads closed in Louisiana

EBR School System addresses school threats

Latest news.

A few showers and storms return this weekend

Assumption Parish residents get supplies during food drive

Morgan City community providing much needed support post-Francine

Assumption Parish residents get food drive

Man arrested for allegedly starting fires at 2 Denham Springs schools

Zachary man arrested in largest narcotics seizure in city’s history

9News Now PM - Friday, Sept. 13

Mark Zuckerberg's long apology tour: A brief history

Zuckerberg was back in damage control mode on wednesday when he apologized to the parents of children exploited, bullied or driven to self harm via social media, by david hamilton | associated press • published february 1, 2024 • updated on february 1, 2024 at 3:36 pm.

When Mark Zuckerberg turned at a Senate hearing to address the parents of children exploited, bullied or driven to self harm via social media, it felt like a time-worn convention had sprung back to life.

“I'm sorry for everything you've been through,” the Meta CEO said Wednesday. “No one should go through what you and your families have suffered.” Then he returned to corporate mode, noting Meta's continued investments in “industry-wide” efforts to protect children.

📺 Watch News4 now: Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

Zuckerberg has accumulated a long history of public apologies, often issued in the wake of crisis or when Facebook users rose up against unannounced — and frequently unappreciated — changes in its service. It's a history that stands in sharp contrast to most of his peers in technology, who generally prefer not to speak publicly outside of carefully stage-managed product presentations. But it's also true that Facebook has simply had a lot to apologize for.

Whether or not the public always buys his apologies, there's little doubt that Zuckerberg finds it important to make them himself. Here's a quick, and by no means comprehensive, compendium of some notable Zuckerberg apologies and the circumstances that brought them on.

BLINDED BY BEACON

Facebook's first big privacy blow-up entailed a service called Beacon, which the platform launched in 2007. Intended to usher in a new age of “social” advertising, Beacon tracked user purchases and activities on other sites and then published them on friends' newsfeeds without requesting permission. After a huge backlash — well, it was huge at the time — Zuckerberg wrote in a blog post partially transcribed by TechCrunch that “we’ve made a lot of mistakes building this feature, but we’ve made even more with how we’ve handled them.” Beacon didn't last much longer.

MOCKING FACEBOOK'S EARLY USERS

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In one of the earliest stories of Facebook's founding, a 19-year-old Mark Zuckerberg mocked the roughly 4,000 students who'd joined his nascent service, bragging to friends in text messages about the vast amount of personal information he'd collected thanks to the misplaced trust of his users. Zuckerberg called them “dumb” and punctuated the word with profanity. When Silicon Alley Insider, a predecessor to Business Insider, published those messages in 2010, Zuckerberg apologized during an interview for a New Yorker article , saying he “absolutely” regretted those remarks.

BURYING A FEDERAL SETTLEMENT

On Nov. 9, 2011, the Federal Trade Commission subjected Facebook to stricter privacy oversight after finding that the company arbitrarily made private information public without notice, failed to limit data sharing with apps when users activated restrictive settings, shared personal information with advertisers after saying it wouldn't, and more.

The same day, Zuckerberg posted a 1,418 word essay grandly titled “Our Commitment to the Facebook Community” that didn't mention the FTC action until a third of the way in and described blunders like Beacon as “a bunch of mistakes."

VR TOUR OF A DISASTER ZONE

Zuckerberg's fascination with virtual reality long predated his decision to rename the company Facebook as Meta Platforms. On Oct. 9, 2017, he and a Facebook employee starred in a live VR tour of Puerto Rico in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The pair beamed themselves into prerecorded 3-D footage of the damage and recovery efforts; Zuckerberg described the you-are-there feeling as “one of the really magical things about virtual reality," especially given, as he said, that “it's a really tough place to get to now.”

He later expounded on Facebook's own recovery efforts, but the dissonant video drew so many complaints that Zuckerberg posted a brief apology in the video chat, explaining that his attempt to showcase Facebook's efforts at disaster recovery weren't very clear and apologizing to anyone who was offended.

CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA

In 2018, news broke that Facebook had allowed apps to scrape large amounts of data from user accounts and those of their friends without oversight. While hundreds of apps were involved, attention soon focused on one that captured data from 87 million Facebook users and forwarded it to a U.K. political data-mining firm called Cambridge Analytica that had ties to then-President Trump's political strategist Steve Bannon. That data was reportedly used to target voters during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign that resulted in Trump's election.

Zuckerberg first apologized for the scandal on CNN, saying that Facebook has a “responsibility” to protect its users’ data, and that if it fails, “we don’t deserve to have the opportunity to serve people.” He gave a version of that apology later that year in testimony before Congress, saying that “we didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility” while also failures in cracking down on fake news and hate speech, poor data privacy controls and not adequately addressing foreign interference in the 2016 elections on Facebook.

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Repeated blast exposure linked to brain damage in Navy SEALs, military lab finds

“this isn’t a surprise. i think maybe this is the first time we’ve had a collection of brains, but we didn’t need that collection of brains to know that this was happening," a doctor told nbc 7, by jackie crea • published july 8, 2024 • updated on july 8, 2024 at 9:18 am.

When soldiers fire their weapons, the kickback is a lot stronger and damaging than previously thought. A military lab found that repetitive low-level blasts in training — not enemy fire or combat — are likely the cause of brain damage in special forces like the Navy SEALs, The New York Times first reported .

NBC 7 spoke with a doctor who says the finding is not a bombshell revelation but just proof of what many in the mental health industry have already been seeing and treating.

24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are

“In those energy intense blasts, there’s different levels of density and timing, so the brain is a fluid-filled tissue that’s moving and rattling inside the brain, essentially, and it can cause inflammation, scarring patterns," Dr. Karen DeCocker, director of advanced practitioners DNP, PMHNP, CNM at Stella Center, told NBC 7.

DeCocker has treated Navy SEALs, Delta Force, Rangers and elite soldiers for years.

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“The suffering of the change in their cognitive functioning, their anxiety levels, depression levels, when you’re not sleeping,” said DeCocker, describing the many symptoms of brain damage.

The Times reported at least 12 Navy SEALs have died by suicide in the last decade. Most of their brains showed visible damage from repeated blast exposure.

“This isn’t a surprise," DeCocker said. "I think maybe this is the first time we’ve had a collection of brains, but we didn’t need that collection of brains to know that this was happening."

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At the Stella Center, including a newly-opened location in San Diego, physicians treat injuries in the brain using several techniques like ketamine infusion therapy to stop the fight or flight response. They also use the Dual Sympathetic Reset or DSR, which are anesthetic injections next to the sympathetic nerves in the neck that regulate heart rate, blood pressure and sweating. There are more treatments, but not all are covered by insurance or the VA.

“Oftentimes, they’re left to very nominal kinds of things like, 'Try this medication. Try this medication and this medication and this medication,' and patients are not getting better because we’re not treating the biological pieces like the scarring in the brain,” DeCocker said. “It’s a real travesty that 90% of our special operators are treated by organizations that care about them, not the veteran system or the private healthcare, or anything like that.”

While the VA has made strides to address the blast exposure, DeCocker hopes that more work will be done to connect veterans and active military — really anyone that needs help — with resources.

NBC 7 reached out to the VA communications department and is waiting to hear back.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at  988lifeline.org . You can also visit  SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources  for additional support.

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Text Version of the Flooded Home

Tour EPA’s virtual flooded home to learn how to safely reenter and clean up your home after a flood. 

Take the interactive flooded home tour  or view the text version below.

On this page:

Flooded Home

Clean and dry, cleaned and repaired home.

1. Entrance

You and your family should wait to reenter your flooded home until professionals tell you it is safe. Make sure the electricity is off and look out for structural or other hazards.

Bring protective clothing and gear with you into the house. Remember to put on protective clothing before entering. At a minimum, wear an N95 respirator, goggles without holes, gloves, and clothing that covers exposed skin. If there is standing water, wear gear such as boots and waders to protect yourself from hazards.

People with breathing problems, like asthma, or weakened immune systems should stay away from moldy sites. Children and elderly individuals should not take part in disaster cleanup work.  

2. First Floor

You should assume you have mold growth if you were not able to dry your flooded home, including furniture and other belongings, within 24–48 hours.

Flood water may have carried sewage or chemicals into your home.

3. Second Floor

Contact your insurance company and take pictures of your home and belongings before you start cleanup activities.

4. Basement

Cleanup may be too difficult or dangerous for you. It may be best to get help from qualified professionals if you can.

1. Back Yard

Use fuel-powered portable generators carefully to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning and fires.

Place the generator:

• Outside and at least 20 feet away from any building. Ensure it does not exhaust into open doors and windows.
• Away from standing water and wet areas.
• Elevate it, if necessary, to avoid electrical hazards.

2. Entrance

Wear personal protective equipment when you enter your flooded home. At a minimum, wear protective gloves,  an N95 respirator, and goggles without holes.

After you leave a moldy site, shower and change your clothes. If you can, keep contaminated clothing out of uncontaminated areas, including your current living quarters.

Do not turn on your HVAC system until you have completed all the steps to clean and dry the home and have addressed needed repairs and remediation.

3. Basement

Remove standing water and take steps to make working in the house safe from structural, electrical, and physical hazards, including slips, trips and falls.

4. First Floor

Dry your home and everything in it as quickly as you can - within 24-48 hours. Open all doors and windows when you are working and leave as many open as is safe when you leave.

Ensure fuel-powered portable generators are placed outside at least 20 feet away from any building and does not exhaust into open doors and windows.

Remove standing water and wet materials. Throw away items that can’t be cleaned and dried. Place wet and moldy items in plastic bags to throw away or to clean and dry later.

5. Second Floor

Isolate unaffected areas using plastic sheeting. Open windows, cover vents, and do not turn on the HVAC system. Debris in the HVAC system, including mold spores, could spread into unaffected areas.

Remove and place clothing in a plastic bag before you enter an unaffected area, and shower to remove mold spores and other possible pollutants from hair and skin.

6. Front Yard

Sort debris and place it curbside for removal. 

Ensure all fuel-powered portable generators are:

• Outside and at least 20 feet away from any building.
• Not exhausting into open doors and windows.
• Away from standing water and wet areas. 
• Elevated, if necessary, to avoid electrical hazards.

Keep your protective clothing on while you clean. At a minimum, wear an N95 respirator, goggles without holes, and protective gloves. Clean with water and detergent. Remove all mold you can see. In most cases, cleaning with water and a detergent is sufficient to remove microorganisms. Dry right away.

If you choose to use cleaning products, use them carefully and in a well-ventilated space. DO NOT mix cleaning products together.

Cleaning and drying your air ducts and other parts of your HVAC system can be complicated. If you can, hire a professional to do this for you.

4. Second Floor

Open access to the attic to let air flow into it. Before you open the attic door, make sure the access is clear of debris. Items may have shifted since the last time someone opened it

5. Basement

When electricity is safe to use, use portable fans and dehumidifiers to remove moisture. Portable high-volume HEPA-filter fans and air cleaners can help circulate and clean the air.

If mold has already started to grow, do not use fans, which may spread the mold. Clean all visible mold before using fans.

If the flood affected any part of your air ducts or HVAC system, do not use it to dry until a professional tells you it is safe.

Ensure the cleanup is complete before reoccupying your home. You may need to ask a qualified remediation or restoration professional to know whether your cleanup is complete.

The home is likely ready for safe reoccupation when:

• Materials that cannot be cleaned and dried have been removed.
• Essential equipment has been replaced.
• The house and everything in it has dried.
• The remaining surfaces and materials have been cleaned.

 2. First Floor

If you have health problems that get worse when you return home – like asthma attacks; allergy attacks; or skin, eye or throat irritation – there may still be mold or other flood-related pollutants inside. Sampling for mold is not usually recommended; instead, perform a careful inspection of the home, including the HVAC system. Ensure that the area is dry and free from visible contamination, dust, and musty odors. 

If your home is clean and safe, you should be able to safely turn on your HVAC system. You may still need to monitor the humidity inside (make sure it is below 60 percent, ideally between 30–50 percent) and consider buying a dehumidifier.

If you still see or smell mold, you have more work to do. After remediation, there should be no signs of water damage or mold growth. Residents should be able to occupy the home without experiencing illness.

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