Dead as Disco: Band Continues To Play After Drummer Dies On Stage

The aging American disco ban Generation Esmeralda experienced a bizarre tragedy in Rio this week. Drummer Brad Parker, 59, collapsed on stage and the band continued to play without coming to his aid. It is not clear whether assistance might have saved Parker who had suffered a heart attack mid show.

By the time that a doctor was called, Parker was, to use the common phrase, dead as disco.

The question is whether the delay in medical treatment could be the basis for liability as negligence. The answer would seem to be no. Ironically, given the idiosyncratic behavior of rockers and performers, the slumping of the drummer may have been less notable or strange.