South by Southwest festival bosses cancel shows following car crash tragedy

A series of South By Southwest festival concerts planned for venues on Red River Street in Austin, Texas on Thursday (13Mar14) have been scrapped following a Wednesday night (12Mar14) car crash, which claimed the lives of two music fans. Steven Craenmehr, the 35-year-old creative director of the Massive Music agency, and an unidentified woman were killed when a suspected drunk driver ploughed into a crowd of revellers waiting for a Tyler, the Creator midnight gig outside The Mohawk Club.
More than 20 people were also injured when 21-year-old Rashad Charjuan Owens lost control of his vehicle. At press time, eight people were still in hospital and two remain in critical condition.
As a result of the accident, SXSW organisers decided to scrap Thursday afternoon gigs planned for venues on Red River Street, where the crash occurred.
The owners of The Mohawk Club have issued a statement on the venue’s Facebook.com page, which reads: “We will be canceling all events scheduled for this afternoon.”
That means gigs featuring Perfect Pussy, punk stars F**ked Up and The Pains of Being Pure At Heart will no longer take place. Bosses at neighbouring venue Cheer Up Charlie’s have also scrapped gigs by Tokyo Police Club, Deap Vally and Bleeding Rainbow.
It is not known if Thursday night’s A$AP Mob gig at The Mohawk Club will go ahead as planned.