A young woman named Bird Piché is said to have suffered a severe spinal cord injury while attending a Trophy Eyes‘ show at Mohawk Place in Buffalo, NY this past Tuesday, April 30th. The following on her condition was revealed via this GoFundMe:
“Bird Piché suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury while attending a concert on April 30th and underwent an extensive surgery. She has a long recovery ahead and will need all the help she can get. It is still too early to know what her prognosis is but after leaving the hospital she will need to go to a rehab facility. She will obviously not be able to work during this time.
Bird recently began running and in the featured photo she had placed second in her age group!
We will update with details according to her comfort level. The funds will be used for medical bills and anything she may need to function in life because of the accident.”
That venue is said to advertise a no moshing policy, but according to fans in attendance, as well as Buffalo, NY-based 1120 Press, the incident appears to have occurred just minutes into Trophy Eyes‘ set. The injury allegedly transpired after the band’s vocalist John Floreani jumped backwards from the stage into the audience, subsequently being surfed around atop the crowd. That dive is said to be featured in the below footage and the show was stopped soon after.
An individual on Reddit claiming to have attended the show stated:
“My partner and I were directly beside her. As soon as we heard her say she was scared and couldn’t move we knew it wasn’t good. John was clearly devastated. I am curious how this will affect the rest of the tour and if he’ll come out with a statement about it.”
Another individual added:
“I was in front of the sound booth, as soon as I heard her say that my heart dropped. That moment will stick with me. Wishing her the best recovery possible.”
A Reddit account linked to the aforementioned venue also expressed their concern on the condition of Piché in the comments of the below Reddit post. Thus far Trophy Eyes don’t appear to have publicly commented on the matter.
Ironically, just over a year ago, Trophy Eyes made headlines for their heated response in regards to online criticism received for Floreani‘s incitement of moshing and crowd surfing at an April 23rd, 2023 show in Atlanta, GA. The fan in question at that show complained online that they felt unsafe at the show in light of all the flying bodies involved.
Sadly this is not the first time injury has struck at the Mohawk Place. Back in 2011, during a Terror and Trapped Under Ice show at the venue, a concertgoer named Mike Bird was knocked down by a stage diver. Bird suffered a broken C5 and C6 vertebrae in the accident. The incident left him requiring emergency spinal surgery. A resulting lawsuit over that accident put the club in jeopardy at the time.
