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"Fans are the greatest danger to themselves"—How safe are we at shows?

A number of concert-related incidents, some of which ended in tragedy, have recently been making headlines throughout the music community. Stage diving, in one form or another, has been the primary culprit in a recent string of injuries (varying from minor to fatal) and in some cases lawsuits have occurred. The act itself is inherently dangerous, for both divers and catchers, but it’s not the only concern to address when pondering the safety and at concerts. Mosh pits, crowd surfing, riots, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual harassment and even, in the worst case scenario, weapons can all come into the mix of threats that bring up the question: How safe are we at concerts?

Recently, a fan died after stage diving at a Suicidal Tendencies show in Switzerland. The 28-year-old man was apparently not caught by fans after diving from the stage, and he hit the ground hard. He later died from an epileptic seizure while in the hospital. But risky acts like stage diving go both ways, and it’s not just the fans putting themselves in harm’s way. Some musicians have been partaking in some risky behaviors. Last November, at the Vans Warped Tour in London, rapper George Watsky jumped 40 feet after scaling a lighting rig during the concert. The rapper landed on a woman and broke her arm.

It doesn’t stop there. EDM mogul Skrillex is currently being sued by Jennifer Fraissl, a women who claims Moore jumped on her from the stage in February 2012 during a show at the Belaseo in LA, leading to significant injuries that caused her to have a stroke. Skrillex is known for stage diving (especially in the earlier years of his DJ career), and the argument could be made that any fan attending should be prepared for such an event. But the law does not appear to be coming down on the side of musicians.

Last February, $1.4 million in damages were awarded to a women who suffered injuries at a Fishbone concert. The women broke her skull and collarbone when the band’s lead singer, Angelo “Dr. Madd Vibe” Moore stage dived at a show in Philadelphia. The presiding judge in the case found that Moore had shown little remorse for the incident and hasn’t stopped stage diving since. Moore’s reluctance to stop even after such an event shows just how culturally ingrained stage diving and other potentially hazardous behaviors are in music culture.

What’s being done to address this and to keep fans safe? Dan McGowan, co-owner of the Crofoot Presents and the Crofoot Ballroom, has perhaps the most relevant perspective on concert safety. McGowan and his team produce more than 350 shows a year at the Crofoot and other venues throughout metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. “We discourage [crowd surfing and stage diving], but for certain shows it’s unavoidable,” he says. “Crowds do what they do, so we just work to provide the safest environment we can. We properly staff the barricade and hope we can assist in a safe landing for the air-borne.”

But what about more serious threats to concert safety? This December will mark 10 years since Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage by a crazed fan while playing with the band Damageplan in Columbus, Ohio. How you do you prepare for a worst-case-scenario like this? Such a threat is always in the back of the mind of John Douglas, who’s worked in venue security at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, for nine years. “You do the best you can to watch everything,” says Douglas. “You spot people who are going to be trouble. You just can’t predict something like that—it’s a fairly rare occurrence. From what I see on the news, sadly, it’s a lot more common for some kid to shoot up his school.”

“In today’s world, there are growing concerns for all public spaces,” says the Crofoot’s McGowan. “Heartbreaking incidents like Sandy Hook, the Boston Marathon bombing or the Aurora, Colorado, shooting have to be considered. It’s no fun to think about, but these things happen, so anyone that manages a public space should have some kind of game plan.”

Despite a looming threat of something tragic, smaller issues tend to be the main ones faced by venue officials when trying to maintain concert safety. “We read about these horrific venue tragedies around the world where people go out for some fun but do not get to come home,” McGowan says. “We stay up, we work hard, we [pay] a lot of attention so our events and our buildings are safe—but accidents can happen anywhere. The biggest concerns usually relate to trips and falls, or the occasional crowdsurfing snafu. Patrons running in traffic outside is also a worry, but there’s not much we can do about that.”

McGowan’s mention of patrons running in traffic is, unfortunately, both timely and relevant. It’s likely to become of much greater concern, following the tragedy that took place at this year’s South By Southwest festival, where a suspected drunk driver fleeing police plowed into a crowd of fans waiting outside of the venue for a Tyler, The Creator show.

Tyler’s concert was canceled that night, but in a strange coincidence (and an event that may make concert safety feel like the Wild West), the rapper would himself directly endanger concert safety the following day. He was arrested for essentially starting a riot at his show. Video released by the police shows Tyler, The Creator yelling at fans to break down a barricade and rush into his concert. It was a wild scene and just one more issue to add to the list of current events challenging our safety at concerts.

Tyler, The Creator’s behavior was undoubtedly that of an irresponsible musician, putting fans and venue staff in obvious harm’s way. But what level of responsibility does the musician have for concert safety? Is keeping fans safe even the musician’s job at all? I Killed The Prom Queen guitarist/vocalist Jona Weinhofen (formerly of Bring Me The Horizon) takes a proactive approach to these situations and would argue that it is his job. “It’s my job just as much as anyone’s to keep an eye out for unsafe behavior,” he says. “This behavior could put myself and my friends or other fans at risk. Now, I’m not saying all bands should be ‘safety Nazis,’ but if you see a big dude in the pit beating up smaller people, call it out. It’s just common sense.”

Responsible musicians and venue staff will definitely make all the difference, and, despite our current threats to safety, it does seem, in the broader scope of time, we have made some undeniable progress in making concerts safer. The problematic events we face at concerts today, pale in comparison to what transpired in 1979 at a concert by the Who in Cincinnati, Ohio, where 11 concertgoers were trampled and killed when the crowd rushed into the venue. The Who had decided to perform a late soundcheck, which prompted the crowd to believe that the band were starting and ignited the subsequent stampede. After the tragedy, the city of Cincinnati took the appropriate steps to enact a ban on festival seating, an arrangement where unreserved seats are available to those who claim them first, which was believed to be at the root of the tragedy’s cause. (The ban has since been lifted.)

A proactive approach to preparation in the case of such incidents is a necessary step to minimizing the damage in the event of problem. Having onsite EMS at larger shows is just one preventative measure that can be taken. This is exactly what McGowan does at larger shows. “The highest law is that of hospitality,” McGowan says. “We are not extensions of the ‘zero tolerance’ tight asses who are stretching their wings and trying to suck the zing out of life. The second highest law is one of common sense. Somewhere after those laws are federal, state and local laws, and yeah, we know them and pay attention to them. No one wants to see anyone get hurt, so our team works with traveling crews to ensure safety. The greatest risk to anyone is him or herself. So the fans are the greatest danger to themselves. We are not part of a ‘nanny state.’ Musicians bring us something close to the most important stuff of life. If it comes with some risk… obviously we think it’s worth it.”

With proactive venue staff, responsible musicians and fans a relatively safe experience when attending a concert can be had. These incidents, after all, are the outliers when stacked up against the thousands of shows that take place every day of every week, year-round in the U.S. alone. Going to a live show is suppose to be fun, and short of making it a police state, with armed guards at every show, there’s little more we can do. And if that were the case, what would be the point of attending at all? McGowan sums it up with his stance on security.

“If security is heavy handed, it can really hurt the mood of a show. Hosts are not there to act as police but to maintain a safe environment. This line can be blurred, but it’s critical to have smart supervisors that can, to some degree, sense the feeling in the room and make adjustments accordingly. Do more police make a scene more secure? Historically, police states are not more secure. So, is more security more secure? I doubt it. A big piece of a ticket prices goes to pay security. In most states, including Michigan, a venue does not have to provide security. If we eliminated security altogether, we could lower ticket prices. Our venues often get sued when we step in and try to break up fights between assholes.”

McGowan’s idea of less security leading to lower ticket prices is definitely an enticing one, but such an idea looks unlikely to occur in the face of each new concert tragedy. Risky acts like crowdsurfing and stage diving are culturally ingrained in the concertgoer’s behavior and are part of the joy of the overall experience for some. So we can’t just simply ban those acts or beef up security to prevent them altogether; we have to trust in venue staff, like Douglas, to handle the sticky situations and do their best to ensure no one gets hurt. More responsible musicians like Weinhofen, who take an active role in safety, will also remain key to the process. At the end of the day, extremes like zero security or a police state-like presence of security will not be the answer. We have to strike a balance between safety and fun.