Tallahassee stage manager witness to Manchester bombing

For Tallahassee-based stage manager Art McConnell, Monday night's Ariana Grande concert was supposed to be just another performance on a world tour. Just another day on the job.

The singer had left the stage. The high energy, bright lights and loud music were over. The crowd of mostly satisfied young girls and their parents were leaving the 21,000 seat Manchester Arena.

Then McConnell heard a noise. It sounded like an explosion.

He's heard similar sounds that come from audio mishaps at the many concerts he managed. It sounded like a public address system pop. The seasoned manager has toured as a stage rigger with stars like Mariah Carey, Usher and groups Twenty One Pilots and Sigur Ros. But that sound on Monday night was different.

"It just didn't sound right," he said.

Then he and the crew saw a wave of panic gripping the crowd. It really was an explosion.

As concertgoers were leaving, a suicide bomber on the concourse of the arena detonated explosives, killing 22 people, including children and parents. At least 50 were reported injured. British officials identified the bomber as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, USA Today reports. It was Britain's worst terrorist attack since 2005.

McConnell had been traveling with Grande on her "Dangerous Woman" tour throughout the spring. But this show was "traumatizing," McConnell said, speaking to the Democrat via phone from the U.K.

McConnell immediately thought of his own two boys and his wife back home in Tallahassee.

"My thoughts were about the children because they are who come to our shows," he said.

But he couldn't phone his worried family right away. Immediately after the explosion, McConnell's priorities changed. Instead of loading several trucks with sound equipment, he had to make sure his crew was safe. They worked with stadium security and the local crew to ensure everyone was able to leave the venue as fast as possible.

That wasn't easy. After authorities ordered the evacuation of the arena, people frantically tried to leave, some limping out on wounded legs. Others still held the pink-colored balloons that descended onto the crowd at the end of Grande's performance.

"My job was to change gears ... to [help] all of our people [crew] exit the building through the back into the loading area and make sure they were all accounted for," he said.

They congregated across the street crowded with ambulances and police cars, lights flashing, sirens blaring.

What about his wife and children back home?

When McConnell and his crew finally evacuated the arena, they had to walk several blocks, around closed roads, to reach the tour buses. Then they could finally call or text their worried families. 

"To know that something like that happened is heart-wrenching enough. But the fact that we were there and it was our show ... it's hard," he said, recalling the chaos.

"Deep heartfelt sorrow."

That's all he could feel.

Reach Nada Hassanein at nhassanein@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @nhassanein_.