TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDIES

A hectic schedule of late-summer outdoor rock spectacles in Britain got off to an ominous start last weekend before Oasis could even hit the stage for its two concerts at Balloch Country Park on the shores of Loch Lomond. With a dark shadow already cast on the shows due to the death last month of Rob Collins, keyboardist for the Charlatans, who had been scheduled to be second-billed on the shows, two more tragedies struck.

On the day before the first show, driver James Hunter died while working on the stage set-up crew when he was caught between a truck and a forklift. Oasis’ Noel Gallagher was standing on the stage at the time and witnessed the accident. Then that night, a traffic accident near the venue involving fans coming for the shows left one man dead and 19 injured.

Oasis guitarist Bonehead remarked that the site “was turning into our Altamont,” referring to the location of the famed, ill-fated Rolling Stones show in 1969. But the shows went on, with Gallagher dedicating the song “Live Forever” to Collins and Hunter, and the press proclaiming the event a triumph that overcame the tragedies. The Charlatans--with Primal Scream’s Martin Duffy temporarily taking Collins’ role--will return to action for a show with Oasis today at Knebworth Park near Stevenage in the Midlands.