Fake encores aren’t just dumb, they also hurt

One of the more tiresome parts of the live concert experience is the fake encore, when the band pretends to finish its set, walks off the stage, and then returns to play a few more songs. It just seems like cheating to us—it’s not a real encore in the sense that it’s a spontaneous reaction to a particularly exceptional show; it’s a ruse that’s meant to make people think they’re getting more than they’ve actually gotten, like an extra-large potato chip bag that’s half-filled with air.

But don’t just take it from hardened cynics like us that fake encores are dumb. Just ask Geraldine Grunwald, who recently filed a lawsuit in Milwaukee County Circuit Court against the Bradley Center and concert promoter Live Nation over a fake encore-related accident at a Josh Groban concert in 2007. Reports the Journal Sentinel:

Pop singer Josh Groban had apparently finished his show at the Bradley Center in August 2007. The house lights came up and Geraldine Grunwald rose from her seat in section 207 to head for the exits.

But according to a lawsuit filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, before she got far, Groban came back for an encore. The ushers and security workers directed Grunwald back to her seat. As she was descended, the lights went out again, making it "pitch black and impossible to see the stairways," according to her suit.

Hampered by the dark, Grunwald fell and suffered serious injuries to her leg, arm, back, head and neck, according to the suit, which claims negligence on the part of the Bradley Center and the concert promoter, Live Nation, was a substantial factor in the fall.

The defendants contend that Grunwald had the duty to exercise reasonable care toward herself and others at the concert.

We’re assuming fake encores will be a part of live shows for the indefinite future, so for the last time: WHEN THE BAND WALKS OFF STAGE THE FIRST TIME, THE SHOW IS NOT OVER. Please, we don’t want anybody else getting hurt out there.