Madonna "Devastated" After Deadly Stage Collapse in France

One man was killed and two others were seriously injured after the stage being constructed for Madonna's concerts in Marseille, France collapsed. Four more were injured when the stage fell apart at 5:15 p.m. local time. "At this point we don't know how it happened, but we are confident no one else is still under the rubble," officer David Goddin told CNN. Roughly 27 fire trucks and 80 firemen descended on Marseille's Stade Velodrome after the accident.

"My prayers go out to those who were injured and their families along with my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this heartbreaking news," Madonna said in a statement. The singer was not in Marseilles during the accident, as she is scheduled to perform tonight, July 16th, at Udine, Italy's Stadio Friuli.

CNN reports that a 53-year-old man was killed, while one British and one American man were reported as severely injured. "There were a lot of open fractures, of injuries, it was a messy sight," a rescue worker told Agence-France Presse, CNN reports. Madonna was scheduled to perform Sunday, July 19th at Marseille's Stade Velodrome as part of her Sticky & Sweet Tour. However, Marseille deputy mayor Jose Allegrini said that Madonna's concert in the southern France city would be canceled.

Madonna launched the European stretch of her Sticky & Sweet tour on July 4th at London's O2 Arena, paying tribute to Michael Jackson — who had sold out 50 concerts at the O2 — during the tour-opening show. The tour is one of the most successful of all time, with the U.S. string of dates alone grossing $91.5 million. The Material Girl was named both Billboard's Top Moneymaker for 2008 and Forbes' Top-Earning Act. At press time, it's unclear if today's tragedy will affect the remainder of Madonna's European dates.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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