Mayhem ensues at Toronto concert after fans line up for several hours in the rain
The long-anticipated Phoebe Bridgers concert at RBC Echo Beach this week had young fans lining up for as long as 12 hours in the pouring rain.
Many were dreaming of being front row at the Grammy-nominated musician's show, which was general admission and essentially held within a sand pit.
Unfortunately, the excitement for the show turned into concern, as the "Kyoto" singer reportedly had to pause the concert at least five times for audience members to receive medical attention.
As a general admission show with no seats, standing spots are first-come first-serve, leading many to potentially skip essential care items like water, food and rest in order to hold their place in line or at the front of the stage.
you can hear one “slow down” but obviously that’s not going to do anything when people are already trying to hurt each other for a better chance at front row pic.twitter.com/tpH7INVfNn
— em (@iliwysem) June 8, 2022
For context, it rained for at least eight hours before the show on Tuesday night, and dedicated fans who'd decided to camp out for hours were likely exhausted.
According to CTV, paramedics confirmed that two people were taken to hospital with "minor injuries" while others in the crowd "fell unconscious" during the event.
i was right at the front of the group going in and it was an actual bloodbath, people hitting each other, tripping, getting shoved to the ground, people were coming in covered in bloody scrapes… never been to a more poorly organized concert in my life
— syd (@COSMlCSYD) June 8, 2022
Some concert-goers told news outlets they witnessed aggressive behaviour, pushing and injuries. Someone even saw a "girl get punched" to the point of bleeding.
this grown fucking man elbowed and shoved ppl to get to phoebe at echo beach and the ppl he shoved are all minors. we told security and they said they’d keep an eye on him. he literally assaulted minors to see phoebe bridgers and is allowed to stay ??? wtf @RBCEchoBeach
— syd ☽⋆ PHOEBE ! (@sydbossanova) June 7, 2022
Attendees are calling on concert organizers and the venue to do better.
In a statement to the Toronto Star, a spokesperson for Live Nation explained that "Last night's show was proactively paused a few times so medical staff could assist fans who were experiencing dehydration. Safety is always our top priority and we worked in close collaboration with medical authorities throughout the evening."
