Stage falls at Ottawa Bluesfest; 8 injured (AP)

TORONTO – The main stage at Ottawa Bluesfest collapsed Sunday night during a Cheap Trick concert as a severe thunderstorm sent the musicians and thousands of fans running for cover. At least five people were injured, one seriously.

Cheap Trick's band members got off the stage safely, but witnesses said they were thrown off their feet.

"Everyone is okay and we are so lucky to be alive and hope that all the fans are okay too," the band, best known for hits including "Surrender", "I Want You to Want Me" and "The Flame", said in a message posted on Facebook.

Video of the Bluesfest site posted on YouTube within minutes of the storm's passing showed a stage that had crumpled and collapsed over electronic equipment. Twisted shards of metal jutted out from the stage, which stood several stories tall before it was destroyed.

Concert-goer Leanne Wilson said the stage slowly heaved backwards and caved in.

"In less than 10 seconds it was gone," she said. "(Cheap Trick) were playing right until it fell. And then instantly everybody was just running and screaming."

"I was stunned, I'd never seen anything like that before at a concert."

Marc Messier, a spokesman for Ottawa Fire Services, said a 49-year-old man was in serious condition with abdominal, pelvic and leg injuries. Another had a spinal injury and a third person experienced chest pains. At least eight other people were treated at the scene for minor issues including twisted ankles and anxiety.

Environment Canada had a thunderstorm warning in effect for Ottawa, saying winds were expected to reach 56 mph (90 kph).

Bluesfest is one of North America's main musical events. The festival first took place in 1994 and has since grown from a one-stage, three-day event to a multi-staged, 12-day music showcase featuring some of the best international talent.

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Cheap Trick escape as Ottawa rock stage collapses (Reuters)

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Veteran U.S. band Cheap Trick escaped unharmed when a storm blew down much of the stage they were performing on at a major rock concert in Ottawa, Canada, late on Sunday.

The band were about 20 minutes into their set at the Ottawa Bluesfest when the storm suddenly swept over the area. The band left the stage seconds before a particularly strong gust destroyed most of the structure, pushing it back onto an adjacent road and away from the thousands of spectators.

Three people were injured, including the band's bus driver. Police are investigating the incident, which happened on the event's last night.

"Fortunately the band and crew are all lucky to be alive and we'll see you down the road," lead vocalist Robin Zander said on the band's website.

Ottawa mayor Jim Watson, who was present at the event, said he did not feel organizers could have prepared for the strength of the storm.

"It's Mother Nature, really, and there are certain things you just can't plan for ... we're very fortunate there was no one killed," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Jerry Norton)

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British royals put down roots in Ottawa (AFP)

OTTAWA (AFP) – Britain's royal stars Prince William and bride Catherine marked their first official trip abroad as newlyweds Saturday by planting a tree in Canada's capital symbolizing their everlasting "love and marriage."

In front of a small crowd of well-wishers -- a marked change from the throng of hundreds of thousands who celebrated Canada Day with the royals on Friday -- the couple strolled among commemorative maples, oaks and conifers that dot the grounds of Rideau Hall, the official residence of Canada's governor general.

To applause, they shovelled soil onto the base a Canadian hemlock planted to commemorate the couple's nine-day royal tour of the country.

In 1907, then-governor general Earl Grey planted the first tree in the arboretum, a young maple to mark the first official trip to Ottawa by Japan's Prince Fushimi.

In the century since, planting ceremonial trees has become a Canadian tradition symbolizing friendship and international cooperation.

"This tree (planted by William and Kate) will serve as an ongoing symbol of the love and marriage of their royal highnesses," officials said in a statement. The hemlock is known to live up to 800 years.

Afterwards the couple chatted with an ailing man whose last wish reportedly was to meet the royal pair, and received a few words of advice from a couple married for 50 years.

Kate, wearing a grey Kensington dress by Catherine Walker, and William also paused for a solemn moment at a tree planted in honor of his late mother Diana, who would have turned 50 on Friday.

The duke and duchess of Cambridge later attended a reception with veterans and war brides at the Canadian War Museum and unveiled a mural before heading to Montreal for the second leg of their cross-Canada tour.

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