Concert safety protocols: Are concerts really as safe as they seem?

Ever since the Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy the whole world went into shock. Parents were afraid to send their kids to festivals, teens and young adults were afraid that if they were to ever be in a bad situation like that they wouldn’t be able to receive the help they needed, and even artists/ performers themselves were nervous to have a situation like the Astroworld tragedy. 

The Astroworld tragedy was a fatal crowd stampede and crush that killed 10 individuals ages 9 years old to 27 years old. About 300 people were injured and treated at the scene, 25 were taken to hospitals and Those killed died from compression asphyxia aka (crushing type injuries). This impacted the world so much because many had not witnessed such a violent incident occur in their lifetime that was caused by human beings. The crowds were humongous, security was understaffed and there were even videos of concertgoers jumping fences to get into the festival without tickets. With out-of-control concertgoers, not enough medical staff, and security once a person with dehydration passes out they would have to wait upwards of 30+ mins for the ambulance to make it to the crowd if it even actually did make it. “Calls start coming in about people collapsing. One official, “looks like folks are coming out of the crowd complaining of difficulty breathing, crushing type injuries.”

Action taken by other artists after Astroworld: At Playboi Carti’s Lollapalooza set in 2021 he is quoted saying “They telling me it’s a lot of people passing out. They keep stopping my music because people are passing out. I care about you guys’ safety first,” Everybody takes three steps back and we can start music right away.” And a Steve Lacy concert recently in October of 2022 many people in the pit were passing out of dehydration, panic attacks, and other related medical issues and when someone in the crowd passed out concert goers would put their flashlights in the air to get the attention of the artist so he could stop the show and they could be pulled out of the crowd. And at some point security was seen handing out water to anyone who would take them into the pit when the show was being stopped to help someone. 

When it comes to scary situations they always happen you least expect it so having a safety plan is also essential. I interviewed Sadiq Ervin who is an event and Talent manager as well as Head of Artist Services, SZND Media Group.

 When Meeting with Mr.ErvinI asked, “ How did he first get started in the music and media industries?” 

Ervin stated, “One of my first couple of jobs in college was at the House of Blues. I was working security there.” “ I also got a work-study on campus working for Boston College athletics working for a program called “Screaming Eagles Media… I got to see how a big arena works as well as an intimate concert venue”

I also asked If Mr.Ervin thought concerts were safe.

He responds happily saying “Yes! I think people feel really safe at concerts and 9 times out of 10 the people who are paying and going to concerts are there because they want to be there and have a good and safe time”.He also goes on to say “granted yes strangers are going to be convening but it can be for a lot of different reasons…When it comes to music concerts most of the time people are there to see someone they really like and they want that to be a positive experience and chances are everyone else wants the same thing”

I asked Evrin if he had ever had some scary experience, says with crowds, for either himself or his artists.

Evrin said” I have, I’ve experienced some scary things as an attendee and working as well… there was one time I went to a concert at UMass Lowell and they had Schoolboy Q and JoeyBadass and it was a really dope line up… We went to this show and had a group of friends with us and we were all having a great time! The show was great and we all had a good time but we didn’t have a real plan of action for it. All of us went our different directions when we got there. By the time the show was over and we all linked up again and started walking back to get home we noticed that one of our friends wasn’t with us… no one could get a hold of him .. and I ended up giving him a call and he answered so I said “ hey man where are you” and he told us that he had ended up at the hospital because he had passed out.” 

Things you can do to insure your safety at concerts especially if you plan on going into a mosh pit / open area or any general admission concert.

1. Stick with a group. … Go to these events with friends if you can. you never know what’s going to happen and you always want to make sure in case a bad situation were to happen that you have someone with you to calm the nerves. 
2. Plan what to do if someone gets separated from your group. … When my friends and I go to concerts we always mark a spot near the entrance/ exit so that if someone is gone for more than 15 mins we will go and check in the spot before panicking and asking security.
3. Find an exit route for each area you are in. … especially after the Astroworld Incident you want to figure out if anything were to go wrong, how you are going to get out of that situation, and how you can do it safely and quickly.
4. Keep a first aid kit and other essentials. … does not need to be a huge kit that you take but a small one you can fit into a pocket or purse can be a real game changer in a situation where if someone were to fall and bleed you could stop it or for less serious injuries.
5. Think strategically about where to stand in the crowd… If you are going into a mosh pit or an area near the stage if the venue is general admission be aware of your surroundings. Lots of people are pushing to the front to get a closer view of the band or artist and in some cases, people forget all their morals and manners. If you are in their way they may push shove or even take you with them depending on how small or light you are. which can cause dangerous situations to happen.

Be safe And have fun at the concerts you plan to attend!