Concert-Goers: Buyer Beware!

by Amanda G., 16, from US

Imagine yourself with thousands of crying teenage girls surrounding you. Some are crying because their favorite artist is singing "to them," but the rest of them are crying out of pain. Some of them are going through pain they have never felt before in their lives. They are hot and have pains all over their bodies. Sweat is dripping from their skin and they look tired. Why do people do this to themselves?

It seems that teenage girls who have a love for music are the ones who will be standing wherever they can, trying to hear the voice and catch a glimpse, no matter what it costs them to get to the front. Then you have the "teeny-boppers" who will claw their way to the front so they can tell all of their friends how close they got at the show. The people who end up getting hurt are the ones there for the music. It's amazing what fans will do for their favorite celebrities, and they don't care what will happen to themselves.

Many states have started putting extra regulations on their venues. Some states simply do not allow venues to hold general admission concerts. Other states have rules where a venue has to supply extra security at general admission shows. Needless to say, the teens always seem to find a way to get hurt.

During the summer of 1999 in Gilford, New Hampshire, a frightening event took place. A venue that had been working on getting more audiences booked the hit group 98 Degrees during their Heat It Up Tour. The owner was very pleased that the tickets sold out within a few days. He was so pleased, in fact, that he started selling more tickets, so he would get extra profit. Along with the extra sales, he decided to give a large number of free admissions to local radio stations. By the time the owner had finished making himself a wealthier man, he had pushed the attendance from 8,000 to 18,000. Nobody knew that he had done this, and the police on duty the night of the concert didn't know what they were in for.

The day of the concert, thousands of screaming teens squeezed into the tiny, outdoor venue. The girls were thrashing each other and fighting to get close to the stars. The blistering 100-degree heat was exacerbated by the humidity of short rain falls. The fans were now miserable because of the humid weather and their soaking wet clothing. By the time the concert was halfway through over 1,000 girls had been pulled out of the crowd because they had become seriously ill during the show. The guys from 98 Degrees also had to announce on-stage that there were 3 girls who had been taken to the hospital, and their parents were in the audience, so they needed to go to follow the ambulances. Throughout the show 98 Degrees pleaded with the enormous crowd to ease up and stop pushing. Girls were literally being crushed into the front gates.

This is only one incident that has occurred over the past few years that has been kept quiet. So many more events have happened where teens have been hurt or even killed, but the venue owners don't want their reputations ruined. It is time that venues stop having general admission shows, and start worrying about who will sue them for injuries. A lot of this is the fault of the crowd, but it would never have to occur if there were more regulations, and a better system to the concert experience.