Colectiv Club- The Therapeutic Role of Remembering | Vlad Busca | TEDxCambridgeSchoolofBucharest
Vlad Bushka was at Club Collective on October 13th when a fire started, which caused the smoke to block the exit and led to 26 deaths on the night, although he hopes the number will not be higher than that. He urges that the media and organizers examine the underground music scene because it contains significant, untapped talent. ## Speakers & Context - Vlad Bushka — Speaker; was present at the event on the night of October 13th. - The event took place at Club Collective on a Friday evening. - The band members (Alex and Vlad) were present at the office that morning to pick up CDs for sale at the venue. - The band was happy that about 300 people attended, indicating they were trying to attract a younger audience. - Bushka and his friends had their longest conversation that night. - The event featured the band's songs from the album *Manas of War*, released that night, and tracks from a previous album. - Bushka later stated he would continue going to concerts, playing music, doing photography, and supporting the underground/local music scene. ## Theses & Positions - The underground/local music scene possesses significant, untapped talent that requires greater attention from the media, press, managers, and organizers. - The artist's story continues despite tragedy, advocating for the continuation of the music scene and the promotion of new talent. ## Timeline & Sequence - **Morning of October 13th:** Alex and Vlad from the band came to Bushka's office to pick up CDs. - **Evening (approx. 9:30 PM):** Bushka was at the club interacting with friends and band members. - **Night of October 13th:** The show began around 10:00 PM, following the performance of songs from *Manas of War*. - **Incident:** Fireworks were set off; a small spark caught fire on a pillow, causing a major fire inside the club. - **After the fire:** Bushka evacuated by heading toward the exit, which was blocked by people. He called emergency number 112. - **Post-tragedy:** A significant period where the victims and the ongoing aftermath were addressed. ## Named Entities - **Club Collective** — Venue where the incident occurred. - **Andre** — Vocalist in the band. - **Vlad** — Member of the band. - **Alex** — Member of the band. ## Numbers & Data - Approximate crowd size at the venue: **300** people. - Number of photographers who lost their lives: **5**. - Number of photographer colleagues who were severely injured: **4**. - Initial estimate of deaths at the scene that night: **26** people. - Higher reported death toll estimate: Up to **74** people. ## Examples & Cases - **The initial performance:** The first five songs played were from the album *Manas of War*. - **The fire origin:** Fireworks started; a small spark reached a pillow where absorbing material caught fire within seconds, burning the entire pillow. - **The escape:** Bushka took his camera and bag, heading quickly to the exit. A big plume of smoke came from inside the club, making people feel and block the exit. - **The rescue/aftermath:** Bushka moved about 50m away from the exit and called emergency number 112. - **The survival example:** The band "goodbye to gravity" got two three millions of views on YouTube *only after* the tragedy; they sold thousands of CD copies *only after* the tragedy; radio and TV only aired their songs *only after* the tragedy. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **CDs** — Items the band was selling at the venue. - **Camera** — Tool Bushka took during evacuation. - **Emergency number:** **112**. ## References Cited - *Manas of War* — Album name/source of the first five songs played that night. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker notes the event's failure to be entirely planned, mentioning fireworks "was not in on the schedule." - The smoke incident was a consequence of the major flame from inside the club towards the people heading to the exit. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The speaker recommits to continuing his passion: going to concerts, playing music, doing photography, helping bands/friends, supporting the underground/local music scene, and working with Universal to promote new talent. - He strongly urges the media, press, managers, and organizers to take a closer look at the underground movement/scene. ## Implications & Consequences - The incident caused 26 deaths on the night, with the total loss potentially reaching 74 people. - The resilience of the local music scene is demonstrated by the visibility/sales surge of "goodbye to gravity" *after* the tragedy. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I was there uh on the night of uh October 13th in club Collective"* - *"a lot of people gathered like 300"* - *"the day we get is the day we die"* - *"this is a picture that I took exactly after the eighth song"* - *"Andre the vocalist uh made a joke like happy New Year this was not in in on the schedule"* - *"there was a human um pillarlike people above people they blocked the exit"* - *"26 people died on the scene the very that night"* - *"I will keep working with universal and promote new talent and uh I hope that uh I will not be the only one uh I hoped that um the media the press the managers the organizers will um take a closer look on this uh under underground movement underground scene"*