NME has reported that a concert by the famed indie-rock musician Phoebe Bridgers was allegedly stopped five times due to fans facing dehydration and exhaustion. The show took place on Tuesday, June 7 at the RBC Echo Beach amphitheater in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Fans in attendance claimed that the show was put on hold in order to allow paramedics to treat crowd members in need. According to NME, Toronto paramedics have confirmed part of this story, stating that they were in attendance and took two crowd members to the hospital with minor injuries. The paramedics noted that they believed others fell unconscious as well.
Erin Laidly, a fan who attended the show, stated that he had “never been to a show where so many people passed out or needed medical attention. A lot of people near the front had camped out, in the rain, for 12+ hours to get barricade so some of the medic calls could’ve been from feeling faint because of dehydration or not eating enough before the show.”
Laidly went on to note how cautious Bridgers and the show were to make sure that fans were okay, and speculated on why so many people were affected: “I’m not sure I’ve seen a band stop playing because of a medical event in the crowd once, much less five times. I saw that a lot of people camped out for hours ahead of time, might’ve forgotten to eat or drink enough.”
Sammy Talukder, another fan at the show, was quoted by NME as explaining that there was a “stampede” when people were let into the venue, stating “Sending around 200 people [in] at once was definitely not a good idea and caused the stampede.”
One fan on Twitter noted that crowd members were allegedly “dropping like flies,” with another suggesting that Bridgers get security to break up queues.
A spokesperson from Live Nation Canada also gave their explanation on the situation, saying that the 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.”
Phoebe Bridgers’ Summer 2022 Tour is currently ongoing, with shows set to take place until late August.
Photo Credit: Kalyn Oyer
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