It
is every promoter’s dream to see their show sold out: whether is a play, a
concert or a private party, the live event industry lives for the fans, and
when they come forth and buy all the tickets, even better. However, there is a
liability that walks hand-in-hand with the sold out event ideal: the injuries
and risks for the audience.
According
to Steven Adelman, between 1992 and
2002 there were 232 deaths registered because of crowd-safety issues in live
events around the world, and more than 66,000 people injured. What occurred in
1979 during a The Who concert in Cincinnati became a tragedy part of live
entertainment’s history, remembered by many. But there are other more recent cases
that need to come to our attention.
In 2003, three people were crushed to deathand other 20 were injured during the Rock For Peace Festival in Curitiba,Brazil. The irony of the event’s name and what happened is hard to be
overlooked. The promoter sold more tickets than the venue could accommodate and
people left outside became violent and tried to get in at any cost. The
security hired for the event was not enough and the police was called, but the
damage was already done. Athayde Oliveira Neto, the promoter, was convicted for
murder and his company sued by the families of the victims.
This
year something similar happened in Chicago: a stampede occurred when the gates opened for a Beyoncé concert in thecity. General admission ticket holders did not have assigned sitting and
were waiting for quite some time when finally were let in. The anxiety caused a
chaotic situation, which caused two girls, Gabby Davidson and Raquel
Castellanos to decide to file a lawsuit. They are suing Live Nation, the
promoter of the event, the venue, United Center, and Beyoncé herself for failing
to provide adequate security.
Situations
like these can happen easily when there are a great number of people involved,
and demand logistics and preparation to be avoided. However, overcrowding is
not the only risk for injuries at a live event. Among fights, diseases and
others, the performer themselves can hurt the audience. This happened at an A$AP Rocky concert at the Chicago House of Blues.
The singer jumped off staged and landed on Tia Butts, that was watching the
show.
Butts
left the venue in a ambulance with head, neck and back injuries, and now is
suing the House of Blues, RSV Gallery, LLC, Live Nation Worldwide, Ticketmaster
Entertainment, Rakim Mayers and Been Thrill. She is seeking $50,000 and claims
that the companies neglected security for the audience. A sold out show is
definitely nothing without proper planning, logistics and planning.
