Calendar: Walt Disney Concert Hall’s 10th Anniversary Concerts
One of those people was male, either 17 or 18 years old. He was breathless and pulse-less. Officers performed CPR and used a defibrillator. Ambulances rushed to the scene. Crews from Waterbury, Naugatuck, Woodbury and Watertown responded to the amusement park, along with and State police from Troops A and L. K-9 units also canvassed the park to make sure that no victims were overlooked. The situation was secured a little after midnight, according to police. A total of seven people were taken to the hospital for treatment. Four are still in the hospital: two at Saint Marys and two at Waterbury Hospital. Authorities also arrested 30-year-old Kyle Stoddard of New Milford for interfering with police while they were treating the overdose patients. Montville said he wondered if the wide age range of the concert-goers might have contributed to the problem. “That’s matches and dynamite, when you’re taking 16-year-olds and 21-year-olds,” Montville said.
Not only did the pop star’s luscious locks get caught in an electric fan during a July performance, the reigning diva has also been spanked by a Copenhagen concertgoer in May and pulled off stage by another at a Brazil show last weekend (resulting in this hilarious, albeit terrifying, image ). Mrs. Carter’s bad-luck streak may seem like an anomaly (her Latin American tour has continued without incident and stops in Venezuela tonight and Colombia on Sunday), but in fact, these crazed fan incidents happen to nearly every pop star. Concertgoers have rushed the stage at Miley Cyrus , Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift shows. Justin Bieber was attacked by a fan during a Dubai performance, resulting in an upturned piano. Even One Direction’s Harry Styles suffered a blow to the groin after a concertgoer threw a shoe at him in February. “They want to get as close as possible,” says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar, which covers the concert industry. “It’s just a fan being overly exuberant that could in fact hurt the performer or anyone else around them if they don’t act rationally. But it’s not based on hate or a desire to do the performer harm.” Although most excited devotees don’t present a serious threat, some encounters have ended tragically. One crazed fan charged the stage at a Columbus, Ohio, concert for heavy-metal band Damageplan in 2004, fatally shooting guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and three others. Other incidents have resulted in brutal injuries, such as a fan who was beaten up after climbing onstage at a Snoop Dogg show in 2005 and another who suffered a concussion when Akon threw a prankster onto her at a 2007 show. The key is to “let audiences know what their limitations are,” as Beyonce did by tossing her bottom-slapper out of the Denmark concert, says Paul Wertheimer, founder of Crowd Management Strategies, a safety consulting service specializing in concerts and festivals. Beyonce allowed the fan who grabbed her to stay for the remainder of the show (even shaking his hand and telling him, “It’s all right …
Better security, mindful artists prevent concert mayhem
Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times / May 17, 2013) Also See more stories X A chorus of memories: Disney Hall, as they saw it and lived it Video: Inside Disney Hall Disney Hall usher’s ‘side’ job becomes a way of life Photos:Disney Hall conductors Interactive graphic: Disney Hall, inside and out Disney Hall: Yasuhisa Toyota’s fluid, innovative approach to sound Diane Disney Miller reflects on a Disney Hall turning point Disney Hall: Musical dream bankrolled by taxpayers, private donors L.A. Phil board Chairman David C. Phil responds to critic Full Coverage: Walt Disney Concert Hall September 20, 2013, 9:00 a.m. The Los Angeles Philharmonic kicks off its celebration of Walt Disney Concert Hall’s 10th anniversary with three free community concerts: Wednesday at City of Hope in Duarte, Thursday at Wilshire United Methodist Church in Los Angeles and Saturday at Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. On Sept. 29, the orchestra heads to Disney Hall for a free 4 p.m. concert, with music director Gustavo Dudamel conducting and a live simulcast across the street on a giant screen at Grand Park. The season begins with a gala on Sept. 30 and includes an anniversary concert on Oct. 23, the actual date of Disney Hall’s 2003 opening.