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Canada: Rock band wants footage from illegal drone at concert

In an unexpected twist during their headlining performance at a concert in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canadian rock band Arkells found themselves intrigued by an unauthorized drone that filmed their set. The Juno-winning group, performing at the Burt Block Party last weekend, spotted the drone hovering dangerously close to the stage, capturing what lead singer Max Kerman believes could be “kind of cool” footage.

As the band played on, Kerman assumed the drone was part of the event and started interacting with it. “I figured I just missed the memo that the festival was operating a drone,” Kerman said in a social media video posted after the show. “Throughout the show, I sort of developed a relationship with the drone. I’d signal it to come closer and then push it away, and they would act accordingly. I was having a great time.”

However, Kerman’s fun was cut short when he learned the drone wasn’t authorized and its operator had violated strict regulations against flying over crowds at public events. Winnipeg police, alerted by concert security, located the drone operator, who promptly left the scene. Despite the infraction, the Arkells aren’t interested in punishment — they just want the footage.

“Winnipeg police: we want the footage,” Kerman pleaded on social media. “We just hope you’re lenient with the operator… and you can get us the hard drive.”

Unfortunately, Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) spokespersons revealed that while they found the drone operator, they didn’t arrest them, and the footage remains unrecovered. It seems the Arkells’ request may go unanswered, but fans are left buzzing over what could have been a one-of-a-kind concert video.

Read more: Dodging rules? FAA hits reckless drone pilots with $341K in fines

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Avatar for Ishveena Singh Ishveena Singh

Ishveena Singh is a versatile journalist and writer with a passion for drones and location technologies. She has been named as one of the 50 Rising Stars of the geospatial industry for the year 2021 by Geospatial World magazine.


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