Seems one of Twenty One Pilots' hometown shows is creating chaos
[Image credit: @anival0]
A Columbus, Ohio venue has erupted in chaos in the hours before a twenty one pilots show tonight (June 22).
EXPRESS LIVE!, an outdoor amphitheatre, is the third stop of twenty one pilots' Tour de Columbus, a sold out five-night run of hometown shows. The past two nights' shows have taken place at relatively small venues, the Basement and Newport Music Hall, holding 300 and 1,700 respectively.
Read more: See footage from Twenty One Pilots’ intimate ‘Tour De Columbus’ hometown show
But tonight's sold out show at EXPRESS LIVE! holds 5,200, and lining up over five thousand superfans on the streets of Columbus, some of which have flown across the nation to be in attendance, has proven to be no easy feat.
Here's the lowdown: The venue does not allow anyone to camp overnight before shows. Unbothered by these restrictions, fans found a loophole and camped across the street or in nearby parks. Chaos erupted at 6 AM when lining became officially authorized, and those in “unofficial” lines stampeded across the street into oncoming traffic to be at the front.
See videos below.
Here are fans waiting across the street for the go-ahead before 6 AM:
tour de shit show pic.twitter.com/pGCDvLNkWo
— lexy |-/ TODAY (@lexydray) June 22, 2017
The #TDCExpress line looks like it's about to get messy. �� pic.twitter.com/3psyEeK3AY
— Anival |-/ x10 (@Anival0) June 22, 2017
And the ensuing stampede. In both videos, you can see a police car pulling up to the scene:
So this is #TDCExpress pic.twitter.com/g45gOsS03U
— Anival |-/ x10 (@Anival0) June 22, 2017
this was the run to the official line at express #TourDeEXPRESS #TourDeColumbus pic.twitter.com/71w9acmtvM
— mickey is emo (@hometownemo) June 22, 2017
The chaos seems to have put people in harm's way:
I got hit by a car and I'm pretty sure I broke my foot soooo
— Ella// TODAY (@Fallingforjish_) June 22, 2017
There was a massive stampede for express live and parents were fighting and people got hurt, the line is a mess too w people trying to skip
— emma (@bowtiejosh) June 22, 2017
i got crushed against a POLICE! CAR! https://t.co/g4rWpMH4Sy
— moonlight • today (@kiaraiannone) June 22, 2017
The venue and its parent company, Promowest Productions, have come under fire for the mishandling of crowd control and its camping restrictions.
risks of camping: someone asks you for spare change at 4 am
risks of arriving all at once: literal stampedes, multiple injuries— toby (@tobyonepilots) June 22, 2017
and guess what, everyone!!! no one would’ve gotten hurt with an unofficial line system moving over to the venue, calmly. https://t.co/j0zqV7zH4u
— kaylea | EXPRESS (@kayleatattoli) June 22, 2017
please explain to me how i go from being at the front of the line to the back because of police at express live??
— Maya || TODAY (@maya_elyse) June 22, 2017
express live is the messiest event i've ever seen. lines were not honored. everyone running into each other in crowds.
— timmy TODAY (@kitchnsnnk) June 22, 2017
The LC line couldn't have been dealt with in a less organized manner and now everyone is squished together like sardines. Someone got hurt.
— stephen (@alsostephenking) June 22, 2017
first GA concert will be my last thank you express live ���� #TourDeExpressLive
— alexa hates express (@nottodaylovely) June 22, 2017
they're literally spraying some people with cold water. we are being treated like actual animals
— jacy. EXPRESS TODAY! (@sunsetsleeve) June 22, 2017
i've never had a good experience at express live, seriously fuck that venue and promowest https://t.co/xz4fm7IRg4
— liv // schott 3 (@holdnontoyou) June 22, 2017
we had everything safely organized and then the venue comes and fucks everyone over. all the people who camped are in the mid back and +
— moonlight • today (@kiaraiannone) June 22, 2017
people who got there 30 mins prior are in the front. express is just a shitty venue. thanks bart
— moonlight • today (@kiaraiannone) June 22, 2017
Clique is in jail party #TourDeExpress pic.twitter.com/sm3e8oozcV
— Lan(emm) Bo(y) TDC❕ (@907bis) June 22, 2017
With hundreds of people amassing by the hour and temperatures expected to peak at 87 degrees for an outdoor show, conditions are ripe for disaster. EXPRESS LIVE! and Promowest Productions have yet to release a public statement on the situation.
Watch more: APMAs 2016: TWENTY ONE PILOTS win Album Of The Year for 'Blurryface'
