On the evening of March 31, 2023, a tornado struck the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, Illinois, United States, which caused the ceiling of the theater to suffer a critical structural failure and collapse onto a sold-out concert.

Winds of 90–100 miles per hour (140–160 km/h) caused the failure of the lower roof structure, with large amounts of debris falling into the venue, primarily onto concertgoers.

Concertgoers aided in removing debris from on top of others, before the arrival of the Belvidere Fire Department, who evacuated the building and handled search and rescue operations alongside emergency management agencies from three neighboring counties.

[5] In November 2022, the death metal band Morbid Angel announced the United States Tour of Terror 2023, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their founding in 1983.

This tour would bring them to Belvidere's Apollo Theatre AC on March 31, 2023, following the previous day's concert at Milwaukee's The Rave, and at both the aforementioned bands (minus Vitriol) would be performing.

[17] Also at this time, the damage path of an EF1 tornado began southwest of Davis Junction in rural Ogle County, which moved northeast towards Belvidere, crossing Interstate 90 in the southeast of the city around 7:40 pm.

[20] During this time, one concertgoer stated they recalled the windows breaking due to high winds, which was followed by multiple audience members being led to the venue's basement, until the tornado approached the building.

[25][7] Lieutenant Drall of the Belvidere Fire Department was the first external response agent on the scene and took command of search and rescue operations upon arrival.

[21] At one point, an estimated thirty concertgoers, as well as twelve police officers and firefighters, attempted to lift the debris off the buried crowd members.

[13] Fifty-one-year-old Frederick Forest Livingston Jr. was pronounced dead on the scene,[b][14] and a total of 27 individuals, two of whom suffered life-threatening injuries, were transported to area hospitals by seven emergency management agencies, including several from neighboring Winnebago, Ogle, and McHenry counties.

[15] A promoter for the event described the performance as "emotional" as Morbid Angel and Crypta, alongside other acts, paid tribute to Livingston and the other victims of the concert at Belvidere.

[35] In a May 2024 interview during Emergency Medical Services Week, Mike Lowe of Boone County Fire District #2 said the collapse of the Apollo Theatre "was a call that nobody was really prepared for.

[37] Livingston was discovered by emergency management removed from debris, likely moved by fellow concertgoers, while wearing a concert t-shirt, and was pronounced dead on the scene.

[38] In an interview with the ABC affiliate in Chicago WLS-TV, lead singer of Crypta Fernanda Lira said that Livingston had previously purchased a band shirt from them during the concert, being the only audience member to do so.

One lawsuit alleges that when a tornado warning was issued, Crypta was allowed to continue their act, while only those on the venue's balcony were led to the basement, not those near the stage where the collapse occurred.

The defendants, the owner Maria Martinez and her husband alongside the concert's promoter FM Entertainment, allege that all concertgoers were asked to enter the venue's basement when the warning was issued, but chose willingly to remain near the stage, while also stating the tornado was an act of God.

Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle stated the morning after the concert that he believed the building would get remodeled after preliminary surveys by structural engineers indicated further collapse of the venue was unlikely and that repairs might be possible.

[44] On June 6, as recovery efforts were underway, a small fire broke out on the roof of the theater as a contractor who had been welding inadvertently ignited nearby flammable material.