An unknown number of fans without tickets reportedly breached the security fence at Lollapalooza on Saturday during Rage Against The Machine’s set. It caused a crowd surge that seriously injured fans and security personnel near the main stage. The band, stopping their set several times, pleaded with fans to back up. They didn’t. MTV reports:
The reunited group opened with a trio of their bombastic best, including “Testify” and “Bulls on Parade,” setting off multiple circle pits in the crowd and sending a stream of bodies – which appeared to be equally comprised of crowd-surfers and panicked fans trying to escape the crush – over the barricade in front of the stage. By the third song, there was a steady, at times frenzied, rush by hundreds of fanson the east side of the stage attempting to leave the area. The relentless fury of the music, combined with the sense of chaos in the crowd, made for some tense moments. Concertgoers trying to go up a set of cement steps were pushed backwards or blocked from exiting as a bull rush of male fans barreled down the steps, knocking people over like dominoes. The crowd surge got so bad that De la Rocha stopped the show on three separate occasions, pleading with fans to take a step back to avoid crushing the audience members up front…It was unknown at press time how many injuries occurred during the show, but an MTV reporter near the front of the stage witnessed at least a dozen dazed, limping and panicked fans being escorted to the medical tent, including one who was taken out on a backboard.”
I went to a RATM/Wu-Tang show in Charlotte back in 90-something and when my buddy stepped into the aisle to go get a beer, he got elbowed in the jaw. In conclusion, if you ever see Rage Against the Machine in concert, it might be a good idea to expose yourself to gamma radiation first.
Lindsay Lohan and her husband at Lollapalooza:
