Goose āreelingā after dad Paul Kueker fell to his death at Madison Square Garden concert, learned tragedy while āgetting off stageā
Jam band Goose is āreelingā after aĀ married dad of two had fallen to his death at their Madison Square Garden concertĀ ā as the group paid tribute to the concertgoer who had been celebrating his anniversary.
Paul Kueker, 51,Ā fatally plunged 150 feet from the Chase BridgeĀ inside the Worldās Most Famous Arena shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday as Goose performed the second of their two-night stint.
āWe are all reeling following the events that occurred at last nightās show,ā the bandĀ said on Instagram on Sunday eveningĀ ā just before they played their sold-out gig in Central Parkās SummerStage.
āGetting off stage to learn that news was devastating for us and our crew, and we cannot imagine how some of you left the show feeling last night.ā
Kueker, director of operations at energy management company Smartcon Solutions, was attending the show with his wife, Kristen, to celebrate their upcoming 25th wedding anniversary,Ā according to the New York Daily News.
Police found Kueker āunconscious and unresponsiveā after he fell from an āelevated positionā inside Madison Square Garden, NYPD told The Post. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Kueker, of Niantic, Conn., left for the restroom during the show and never returned to his seat, his mother Patricia Finelli told the outlet.
Finelli remembered her son as the āgreatest kid in the whole wide world.ā
āHeād give you the shirt off his back,ā she told The Post. āHe has two children, a beautiful wife, and he took care of me like I was a piece of gold.ā
Venue staff taped off and cleared at least seven rows in the areaās lower bowl where the fatal fall happened, according to fan photos shared on social media.
Goose ā which consists of Rick Mitarotonda, Trevor Weeks, Peter Anspach, and Cotter Ellis ā kicked off their show in Central Park with a 15-second moment of silence for Kueker.
āJust want to take a moment to address some of the tragic events that happened at last nightās show and extend our deepest condolences to Paul, his family, his friends and everyone who was affected by what happened,ā Anspach said.
āIn moments like this, you realize life is so fragile and weāre so lucky to have an incredible community here around us. Everybody, if youāre struggling with something, please donāt be afraid to reach out to somebody in your life or send us a message. Please. We got to help each other out. Thatās why weāre here. People are meant to talk and be with people.ā
The Connecticut-based band said it weighed whether to play the concert in the wake of Kuekerās death.
āWe considered whether or not we were going to play and came to the decision that the best thing we can do right now is bring our community together, lean on one another, and offer a space for healing,ā Goose said in a statement earlier on social media. āSo letās be kind to each other tonight and remember our friend.ā
Goose has since announced that it is working with grief counselors and licensed therapists to hold online therapy sessions for fans affected by the tragedy.


