Floor collapses during concert at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre

A sold-out concert at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney's inner-west had to be abandoned last night after the floor collapsed during the performance by artist Genesis Owusu.

What was described as a “massive sinkhole” in the middle of the GA area collapsed just two songs into Owusu’s performance, with the ARIA-winning artist abruptly halting his set as he became aware of the incident.

Just weeks after the popular venue’s long-awaited reopening following the end of Covid restrictions, venue staff moved quickly to evacuate fans, ushering them towards the edges of the downstairs of the auditorium and into the foyers.

In footage of the incident captured by the University of Sydney student newspaper Honi Soit, the floor can be seen undulating beneath the weight of attendees.

Music critic Bernard Zuel, who was also attending, compared the sensation to “a cross between a water bed and a trampoline”.

In a statement, the operators of the Enmore Theatre attributed the damage to “relentless rain and excessive water” in the Newtown area, causing structures under the carpet to shift and “(create) an uneven floor”.

The statement added “the floor of the theatre has been assessed and remediation works have commenced. We have isolated the section that was affected by water and are further reinforcing the surrounding areas as a further precaution.”

This morning, Owusu told the triple j radio station that he initially thought the crowd was separating to prepare to mosh, commenting “my perspective of the whole thing is we were doing the second song, everything's going well, I see people like in the middle of the crowd start to form a circle.

"Then the side of stage hits me in my ear-piece saying, 'Hold the show! Hold the show!' and I'm thinking there's like some technical difficulties, so I'm thinking he means hold the song while we figure this out.

"But he meant … there is a hole in the floor [and] immediately we had to pause the song."

The historic venue underwent a major restoration and refurbishment in 2020.

Theatre management said tonight's concert by Brisbane artist Young Franco will go ahead.

Owusu continues his Australia tour, performing at the Adelaide Festival tonight.

Images: The GA area of the Enmore Theatre after the floor collapsed during last night's Genesis Owusu show (top, credit: Dean Vardon/@roti793) and security staff keep the area clear after the incident (below, credit: Twitter).