Kevin Costner has returned to Alberta. The musician and actor arrived at the Edmonton International Airport today for this weekend’s Big Valley Jamboree. Costner was caught backstage when the event’s stage collapsed after a massive storm ripped through the area last year. Music fan Donna Moore was killed after the stage’s steel beams and speakers came crashing down. She was sitting on the stage when the structure collapsed. Costner says he became trapped under some netting when the winds picked up.
“The wind became an animal and you could see it was almost in slow motion, the big tarp started to move and something felt terribly terribly wrong.”
Costner managed to free himself from the netting, but his band’s road manager was seriously injured. The musician says he stayed by the man’s side and tried to stop the bleeding. The road manager says Costner saved his life. The Hollywood star tells media it was one of the most terrifying moments of his life, but insists he had to come back.
“We knew we wanted to come back right away, we were asked to come back and it was on our calendars and has been there the last year,” said Costner. “We’re gonna turn the music up and we’re gonna celebrate our own lives and everyone who’s there and we’ll try to think back and remember those who aren’t,” he added.
Thousands of people are already making their way into Camrose for the four-day music festival. Fans at this year’s event will see some changes to the main stage to ensure a new, stronger stage is constructed. Panhandle Productions says the new stage will have more steel and more cement just in case another storm whips through. Additional braces have also been installed.
Among the dozens of country music stars set to take the stage this weekend, Doc Walker and Miranda Lambert will be performing Friday. Kevin Costner takes the stage Saturday followed by country superstar Martina McBride. On Sunday, Canadian stars Crystal Shawanda and Corb Lund will perform for starry-eyed fans. Then hit-maker Keith Urban will finish off the night with a highly-anticipated show.
A lone fiddle player will take to the stage and offer a song in memory of Donna Moore on Saturday evening. The tribute will also include a minute of silence.
