AC/DC ConcertSalt Palace
During AC/DC’s 18 January 1991 concert, fans on the general-admission floor surged toward the stage. Contemporary reports place the crush on the main floor of the Salt Palace Acord Arena, and later investigation found the three fatalities died from compression or compressional asphyxia.
What Happened
Core Facts
Overview
Known Summary
Contemporary and later sources tie the incident to AC/DC’s concert at the Salt Palace on 18 January 1991. Fans on the general-admission floor surged toward the stage, creating crushing pressure on the main concert floor.
The fatalities were reported as Jimmie or Jimmy Boyd, Curtis Child, and Elizabeth Glausi. Sources differ on Glausi’s age, and Boyd’s first-name spelling varies across reports.
The Los Angeles Times reported that more than 13,000 fans were in the Salt Palace. A later Deseret report states the floor crowd numbered more than 4,500.
The strongest evidence supports the date, venue, three fatalities, and compression asphyxia mechanism. The weaker points are the exact total injuries, exact timing before the show stopped, and some personal detail variations.
View Conflicts →Quick View
Incident Highlights
Chronology
Operational Picture
18 January 1991 · AC/DC performance begins
The concert takes place at the Salt Palace Acord Arena in Salt Lake City. The floor is reported as general admission or festival seating.
Fans surge toward the stage
Sources describe thousands of fans pushing toward the band, with victims crushed on the main concert floor.
Attempts to halt the show
Security employee accounts reported in Deseret News say attempts were made to stop the performance. Timing accounts differ.
Jimmie/Jimmy Boyd dies
Early reporting states Boyd died at the concert. His first-name spelling differs between sources.
Curtis Child dies
Curtis Child died on 20 January 1991 at Holy Cross Hospital after injuries suffered at the concert.
Elizabeth Glausi becomes third fatality
A 22 January 1991 Deseret News report states Elizabeth Glausi became the third fatality from the concert crush.
Date and Venue Strong
Multiple contemporary and later sources support 18 January 1991 at Salt Palace Acord Arena.
Crowd Size Repeats
More than 13,000 total attendance appears in Los Angeles Times reporting; floor crowd above 4,500 appears in Deseret coverage.
Fatality Mechanism Strong
Later investigation and source summaries identify compression or compressional asphyxia.
Injury Total Weak
Named injured people and serious injury reports exist, but the exact final injury total is not consistently verified.
Source Check
Conflicting Information
Disputed Detail
Elizabeth Glausi’s Age
Both age figures appear in reviewed source material and were not resolved from the source set.
Editorial note: identity and fatality status match; only the age figure conflicts.
Disputed Detail
Timing Before Music Stopped
Sources agree there was a substantial delay, but not on the exact duration.
Editorial note: the difference matters operationally, but both versions indicate delay and crowd distress before the stop.
Disputed Detail
Boyd’s First-Name Spelling
The surname and identity match across sources, but the first-name spelling varies.
Editorial note: this is a naming consistency issue, not a separate-person issue.
Not Verified
Unverified Details
Exact total number of injured persons was not consistently confirmed.
Exact street address from a primary 1991 source was not verified.
The exact moment when the band became aware of the emergency was not confirmed.
Exact final settlement amounts for all parties were not confirmed.
No directly accessible magazine-category source beyond an inaccessible Variety result was confirmed.
Evidence Base
Reference Cards
The cards below separate contemporary reporting, later summaries, venue/tour pages, and crowd-safety academic material. They are written from the uploaded research document, not from live web checking.
Chuck Philips / Los Angeles Times
Concert of Death: Cities Rethink Festival Seating After Three AC/DC Fans Die
4 March 1991
Reports that more than 13,000 fans were in the Salt Palace on 18 January 1991; states three concertgoers later died and identifies compression asphyxiation as the cause of death. Also covers the $8 million suit and wider debate around festival seating.
Visit Source →JoAnn Jacobsen-Wells and Marianne Funk / Deseret News
CONCERN: AFTERMATH: CROWD EXPERT BLAMES 3 DEATHS ON AC/DC FANS
24 January 1991
Reports that thousands of teenagers pushing toward the band were blamed by one crowd-management instructor. Includes accounts from security employees who said they repeatedly tried to stop the show.
Visit Source →Brent Israelsen and Joseph Bauman / Deseret News
POLICE PROBE 1 DEATH, INJURIES AT SALT PALACE ROCK CONCERT
20 January 1991
Early contemporary report stating Jimmie/Jimmy Boyd died at the concert, Curtis Child and Elizabeth Glausi were hospitalised, and Brandy Burton was treated and released. It places the crush on the main concert floor of the Salt Palace Acord Arena.
Visit Source →Deseret News
SECOND TEEN DIES OF INJURIES INCURRED AT AC/DC CONCERT
21 January 1991
Reports Curtis Child died on 20 January 1991 at Holy Cross Hospital; says Boyd had already died and Glausi remained in critical condition.
Visit Source →Kenneth S. Rogerson and Brooke Adams / Deseret News
CONCERT STAMPEDE CLAIMS BYU STUDENT AS 3RD VICTIM
22 January 1991
Contemporary report that Elizabeth Glausi became the third fatality from the 18 January 1991 AC/DC concert crush.
Visit Source →Jay Evensen and JoAnn Jacobsen-Wells / Deseret News
DID FESTIVAL SEATING LEAD TO 3 DEATHS?
22 January 1991
Reports that the three deaths may have been linked to the festival-seating arrangement at the Salt Palace.
Visit Source →Deseret News
FATHER OF CONCERT VICTIM, 14, SUES AC/DC, OTHER FIRMS FOR $8 MILLION
6 February 1991
Reports Bruce Child’s wrongful-death suit against AC/DC and multiple concert-related defendants, alleging compression asphyxiation and blaming festival seating.
Visit Source →Jay Evensen and JoAnn Jacobsen-Wells / Deseret News
S.L. COUNTY FINDS NO NEGLIGENCE IN CONCERT DEATHS
9 February 1991
Reports the official county investigation found no criminal negligence. It says the victims were suffocating for more than 20 minutes and that 26 minutes and 5 seconds elapsed after the band started playing before the stop.
Visit Source →Deseret News
AC/DC SERVED WITH LAWSUIT
23 February 1991
Reports the band was served before leaving for Europe so they could be brought under Utah court jurisdiction in Bruce Child’s case.
Visit Source →Deseret News
82 ORDINANCE DID AWAY WITH FESTIVAL SEATING
27 February 1991
Reports Salt Lake City had banned general-admission seating for larger venues in 1982 and says the Salt Palace had not applied for an exemption. Also reports the floor crowd numbered more than 4,500.
Visit Source →Deseret News
FAMILY SUES AC/DC IN STUDENT'S DEATH
9 July 1991
Reports Elizabeth Glausi’s family and an injured friend filed a federal suit, alleging the band continued playing while the crush was visible.
Visit Source →Marianne Funk / Deseret News
FAMILIES SETTLE SUITS OVER AC/DC CONCERT DEATHS
17 December 1992
Reports out-of-court settlements with AC/DC, Salt Lake County, and others. Also states two traumatised people settled claims and says the deaths prompted a ban on festival seating at concerts held at the Salt Palace and Delta Center.
Visit Source →Corey Irwin / Ultimate Classic Rock
30 Years Ago: Stampede at AC/DC Concert Leaves Three Fans Dead
18 January 2021
Retrospective summary naming the three fatalities and noting later suits and settlements.
Visit Source →Nova.ie
AC/DC Remembering The Tragedy At Salt Lake City
19 January 2021
Retrospective summary stating Boyd died that night, Child two days later, and Glausi four days later after life support was withdrawn at her family’s request.
Visit Source →setlist.fm
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, UT, USA Concert Setlists
No page date stated
Venue page identifying the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City and giving the venue address as 100 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101, USA; also notes the venue was also known as Salt Palace Acord Arena.
Visit Source →AC-DC.net
18 Jan. 1991 Salt Lake City (Salt Palace Acord Arena)
No page date stated
Band tour-history page confirming AC/DC played Salt Lake City at Salt Palace Acord Arena on 18 January 1991.
Visit Source →John J. Fruin / First International Conference on Engineering for Crowd Safety
The Causes and Prevention of Crowd Disasters
Presented March 1993; revised January 2002 on the posted PDF
Includes the 1991 Salt Lake City incident as an example of an entertainment-event crowd disaster, stating that three rock music fans died of compressive asphyxia at a festival-seating event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Visit Source →Source Trail
Source Link Banners
Each banner links to a source URL captured in the research file. Colour rules include all eight banner variants so items 7 and 8 do not render naked. Nobody wants sad, colourless banners.
