Viral videos show Fox Theatre balcony bouncing, officials say no sweat

On Tuesday morning, social media was lit up with footage from Monday night's Gunna concert at Detroit's Fox Theatre, which showed the balcony of the nearly 100-year-old building wobbling as fans jumped up and down during the show.

Local concert fans know that's how it goes at the Fox, and venue operators Ilitch Sports and Entertainment released a statement Tuesday saying the balcony was built to flex and withstand such activity, just as it has for decades.

"The type of movement seen at the recent Fox Theatre concert is common and expected on free-standing balcony structures, to support audience members actively dancing, as shown during last night’s concert," the company said in a statement. "This capability is an integral part of the balcony’s structural engineering design. Regular inspections, most recently conducted in April, are completed to ensure the integrity and safety of the structure."

One tweet from XXL Magazine, which showed the balcony at the Gunna show bobbing to the beat, had logged 7.3 million views in its first 12 hours. Gunna also shared it on his Instagram.

Another tweet from Eazy, one of the hosts of the Detroit sports-themed Woodward Heavyweights podcast, said, "Dear Detroit, can we please fix the Fox. We just knocked it out the park with the draft. Let's avoid a tragedy."

Stories of the Fox balcony's trampoline-like properties pop up every few years; videos of the balcony shaking were posted after Nick Jonas' 2010 concert at the venue.

The Fox was designed by architect Charles Howard Crane, who designed a number of Detroit buildings, including the Majestic Theatre, the Detroit Opera House, Orchestra Hall and the former Olympia Stadium.

The Fox is set to host upcoming concerts from Yolanda Adams (May 10), Patti LaBelle (May 12), comedians Lil Duval and Mike Epps (May 18), E-40 and DJ Quik (May 25), Moneybagg Yo (June 1), Daniel Tosh (June 15) and the Commodores and the Pointer Sisters (June 19).

agraham@detroitnews.com