Bad Omens Bring the House Down (Literally) at Melbourne’s Festival Hall

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Published January 24, 2025 by Jake Fitzpatrick

Last night at Festival Hall, Bad Omens’ goodbye, friend tour opener turned chaotic when parts of the ceiling came crashing down during their second Melbourne show.

The incident went down during the penultimate track, “Just Pretend,” from their 2022 album THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND. As the band hit the chorus and confetti canons exploded, at least three ceiling panels fell onto the general admission crowd. From the floor, it was pure chaos—but fortunately, no one ended up in the hospital.

In true rock fashion, the band powered through the moment, unaware of the carnage above the pit. They briefly left the stage before returning for one last song and finishing the set as planned.

@wallofsoundau
last night during BAD OMENS’ concert at Festival Hall, parts of the Melbourne venue’s roof collapsed after Confetti was fired during the climax of ‘Just Pretend’. Eyewitnesses told Wall Of Sound one fan was taken to hospital after being knocked out, with several others sustaining injuries following the accident. We have reached out to Festival Hall, a Hillsong Church owned venue for a statement on the incident. full story at WallOfSoundAU.com 📽: Connie Nicholl
♬ original sound – Wall Of Sound

A spokesperson for Festival Hall has since confirmed that on-site first aid responded quickly and there were no major injuries. “We’ve conducted an immediate review of the special effects vendor and additional safety checks before tonight’s show,” the statement read. For those worried, tonight’s sold-out gig—featuring Poppy and House of Protection—will also go ahead as planned.

This was Bad Omens’ first Australian show of 2025 and their second time playing here. Their last tour of Australia was in 2023 for Knotfest. That tour was married by various setbacks including frontman Noah Sebastian battling vocal issues. This subsequently forced them to cut a Sydney set short and cancel their Knotfest Melbourne slot.

@wallofsoundau
Noah Sebastian addresses the accident at BAD OMENS first Melbourne show and calls for a moment’s silence for the victims of Festival Hall’s ceiling tile incident. 📽: Shae Anderson #BadOmens #noahsebastian #concert #musicnews #fyp #australia #wallofsoundau
♬ original sound – Wall Of Sound

With a stacked Australian tour itinerary this time around, Bad Omens seem intent on leaving it all on stage—and, apparently, some pieces of the ceiling too. The band’s third album THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND has been a juggernaut since its release. The follow-up remix record Concrete Jungle [The OST] has also kept the momentum alive.

Melbourne fans, fingers crossed the roof stays intact for tonight’s show. Next up, Bad Omens head to Brisbane’s Riverstage on 25 January before wrapping it all up with two massive nights at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on 28 and 29 January.

If last night was any sign, this tour’s going to be one to remember—just maybe not for Festival Hall’s contractors.