Nitro Circus shrugs off Glasgow crash, announces outdoor tour

Nitro Circus is coming to Livingston. Picture: John Devlin

Spectators at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow were left stunned when two men – whom the audience believed were volunteers – came flying off a stunt bike after taking part in a four-man backflip during Nitro Circus Live.

The passengers, who were later revealed to be genuine stuntmen planted in the crowd, were crushed by the vehicle when it appeared to stall and tip back off a ramp – resulting in one of them breaking his jaw and requiring surgery.

Now the organiser of the event, Travis Pastrana, has announced it will be returning to Scotland once again for its first UK outdoor stadium tour, promising “death-defying stunts, amazing tricks and unbelievable world firsts that have yet to be seen”.

Nitro Circus in action. Picture: John Devlin

Among the 11 planned destinations is Livingston FC’s Tony Macaroni Arena – the only Scottish stop-off.

The show, which boasts some of “the greatest action sports stars on the planet”, has previously sold out arenas such as the O2 in London and Madison Square Garden in New York.

Michael Porra, the CEO of Nitro Circus and the creative director, said: “We are so excited to bring the biggest, most daring action sports production ever staged to the UK.

“Our insane group of athletes perform stunts that you literally cannot see anywhere else on the planet.

“We’re constantly pushing each other to break records and do things that people previously thought was physically impossible.”

He added: “Now we’re ready to show a whole bunch of new cities and towns what we’re all about.

“This is our first series of UK outdoor shows and we’re performing at some awesome outdoor locations.”

Many of the BMX performers from last week’s show at the Hydro are due to return this summer.

Organisers said that hardcore Nitro fans can expect to see the explosive “Nitro Bomb”, which features all the riders flipping simultaneously as well as them slicing through the air, just inches apart.

Gordon Ford, Livingston FC’s majority shareholder, said: “Livingston Football Club will be delighted to welcome Nitro Circus to the Tony Macaroni Arena in June.

“This will be such a unique event, which is sure to attract large numbers of people to West Lothian, to Livingston, and to our arena.

“It is an opportunity to showcase the stadium as a venue for more than just football, and we are excited to be working with such a dynamic organisation as Nitro Circus.”

Tickets for the tour are on sale on Friday from 10am via www.nitrocircus.live.

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