A tragic incident occurred at a concert by Australian rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard in Denver, Colorado, on Friday. Mathew Gawiak, a 36-year-old fan of the band, collapsed and died during the performance at the Field of Vision Festival. Gawiak, who was attending the concert with his brother Chris, reportedly felt dizzy less than an hour into the show, which began around 9 p.m.
Gawiak, a geospatial scientist by profession, suffered a cardiac arrest during the seventh song of the band’s set. The band halted their performance to allow medical personnel to attend to Gawiak, who was a dedicated fan of the group. His brother Chris recounted the distressing moment when Mathew became unresponsive and collapsed.
Chris shared the incident on the band’s Reddit page, expressing gratitude for the immediate response of two trauma nurses present in the audience. They began CPR while others in the crowd sought paramedics to transport Gawiak to the medical tent. Despite efforts by EMTs to stabilize him for two hours, Gawiak was pronounced dead while being transported to a local hospital.
The following night, the band paid tribute to their devoted fan during their performance at the Field of Vision festival. Chris expressed his family’s gratitude for the outpouring of support they received in his Reddit post. He revealed that Mathew’s family and friends had gathered to watch the band’s concert via live stream and were deeply moved by the memorial tribute to Mathew.
Gawiak’s wife, Ali Zangle, remembered him as a beloved husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend in a GoFundMe campaign. She expressed some solace in knowing that her husband had been surrounded by music and a community that was special to him in his final moments.