Australia’s Worst Concert Disasters: Reflecting on Anna Wood’s Tragic Legacy

As we edge closer to summer, music fans and party people across the country are gearing up for the festival season.

With the likes of Good Things, Beyond The Valley, Spilt Milk and Lost Paradise festivals kicking off over the next few months, Aussies have no shortage of musical fun on offer.

However, for every festival or large-scale event that goes off without a hitch there are a few that end in disaster, whether financial or physical.

Some events, which started with highest of hopes and excited anticipation, sadly ended in tragedy. 

Below are some of the biggest concert disasters in Australian history.

Anna Wood’s Death – Phoenician Club, Sydney  – 1995

The death of Sydney teenager Anna Wood back in 1995 sent shockwaves through the nation.

Anna, who was just 15 at the time of her death, was heading into the city with friends after recently finishing Year 10 at Forest Hill High School.

On 21 October 1995, Anna and a group of friends attended an ‘Apache’ rave party at the now defunct Phoenician Club in the Sydney suburb of Ultimo. 

The group had consumed ecstasy tablets they purchased from another friend outside the venue.

Later that evening, Anna complained of feeling unwell and was seen rushing to the toilets.

She was then taken back to a friend’s house in Belrose Hill where her condition did not improve.

At 1am the following morning Anna’s parents were informed and an ambulance was called, which rushed Anna to the Royal North Shore Hospital.

However, Anna remained in a coma throughout and did not regain consciousness. 

She died on Tuesday October 23 after her life support was switched off.  Her cause of death was hypoxic encephalopathy, following acute water intoxication secondary to ingestion of MDMA. 

Anna’s death sparked widespread media coverage and debate about the danger of illicit drug use.

In the wake of her death, Anna’s family have campaigned tirelessly about the dangers of drug use.

Speaking to A Current Affair in October, 30 years after Anna’s death, father Peter said that he still receives messages of support.

‘Every now and then on my old computer down there, I’ll get an email from someone saying I’ve been offered drugs but because of your talk you did at my school, I never touched them,’ he said.

The Whiskey Au Go Go Fire – 1973 

A concert by iconic rock and rollers The Deltones in Brisbane back in 1973 was mired in tragedy.

The band was performing at The Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley and were lucky to escape with their lives.

The popular nightclub was shockingly firebombed in the early hours of March 8 1973, and the fire started with the ignition of two drums of petrol in the nightclub’s foyer.

The burning petrol sent carbon monoxide to the club’s main room on the first floor and the only escape route was the stairs at the rear of the venue.

Approximately 20 patrons, bar staff and band members were in the club at the time of the fire, with some escaping by jumping from windows onto a nearby awning.

The fire resulted in the deaths of 15 people who had perished due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Two members of the band Trinity, who were also performing on the night, died in the fire. Three staff members and 10 patrons also died.

Brisbane and Sydney underworld figure John Andrew Stuart, then 33, and James Richard Finch, 29, were arrested in Jindalee on the weekend after the nightclub fire.

They were both convicted of murder and sent to the now-closed Boggo Road Prison, where they both continually protested their innocence.

Limp Bizkit – Big Day Out – 2001

The 2001 Big Day Out in Sydney turned to tragedy after a young girl was crushed to death in a crowd surge. 

Jessica Michalik, 16, died when the crowd for US nu-metal band Limp Bizkit surged forward during a performance of the song My Generation.

Security had to pull people from the mosh pit who were in distress, but it was too late for Jessica, who died of asphyxiation.

The tragedy led to a coronial inquest and the Coroner’s Court of New South Wales criticised the crowd control measures in use at the time.

The coroner also criticised Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst for his ‘alarming and inflammatory’ comments made during the rescue attempt.

Jessica’s favourite band Grinspoon performed at her funeral and the festival observed ‘a minute of noise’ to honour Jessica at subsequent festivals.

During their 2012 sets at the Soundwave festival’s Brisbane and Melbourne legs, Limp Bizkit paid tribute to Jessica, playing under a large backdrop bearing her name.

Star Hotel Riot – 1979 

The Star Hotel riot, which besieged Newcastle back in 1979, has the dubious honour of being one of the largest riots in Australian history.

On the night of 18 September 1979, 4,000 people clashed with police on the streets over the sudden closure of the popular venue, the Star Hotel.

The pub’s owners Tooth and Co. had announced the closure of the hotel due to disrepair which sparked widespread protest.

On the night of the planned closure, a swathe of Novocastrians turned out for the final night of trade and to protest.

Police arrived to enforce the 10pm closing time, interrupting a set from local band Heroes.

Things quickly escalated when patrons began clashing with police and throwing projectiles after being told to leave.

What resulted was a two-hour riot that saw cars set on fire and police vehicles overturned.

In the end, an estimated 46 people were arrested including Heroes frontman Pete De Jong, who was hit in the mouth with a microphone reportedly wielded by a police officer.

Pete was arrested for calling the police ‘pigs’.  

The legendary fracas was immortalised by rockers Cold Chisel in their song Star Hotel on the band’s 1990 album, East. 

Esoteric Festival, 2024

Revellers attending the Esoteric Festival in regional Victoria got more than they bargained for in 2024.

Following the five-day EDM festival in Donald, north-west of Melbourne, at least 120 people reported gastroenteritis symptoms. 

‘People who attended Esoteric Festival who have symptoms should get tested for Shigella with a stool sample,’ said Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Ben Cowie at the time.

‘Shigella gastroenteritis is generally a self-limiting infection but is highly contagious and can be potentially serious.’

Things went from bad to worse for organisers this year, with the planned festival scuttled just hours before kick off.

Buloke Shire Council gave the festival the green light on the Monday, despite staff recommendations the permit may be denied due to health and safety concerns, The Age reported in March.

Just hours out from doors on Thursday, it was revealed the festival’s application for a Place of Public Entertainment Occupancy Permit (POPE-OP) had been rejected by the council’s building surveyor.