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A free Akon concert went terribly wrong Wednesday (Feb. 20), after a fire alarm set off panic among thousands of fans at a Danish mall.
According to Reuters reports, some 3,000 people gathered at the Fields mall outside Copenhagen to attend a free performance by the R&B singer. A number of concertgoers responded violently after police attempted to evacuate the building during a fire alarm.
"It was a free concert and we knew that many people would come, but there were a lot of people there, more than we had expected," Fields director Jens Geppel told Reuters.
While a large amount of fans arrived hours before the scheduled event, Geppel said many were turned away due to space limitations. Some 1,000 fans were allowed to enter a concert area of the mall for the performance, while others were only permitted to watch the show from a distance. When the mall fire alarm (which later proved to be false) interrupted Akon's third song, police attempted to evacuate the disappointed crowd and were met with protests and physical attacks. Several dozen concertgoers threw bottles and rocks at the authorities.
While no serious injuries were reported, emergency services were summoned to the scene to treat fans injured during the confusion. Eight people were arrested during the melee.
"It's a pity that not everyone got to see the concert," Geppel said, promising plans to investigate how things went wrong.
The confrontation in Denmark follows what has been termed as a mini-riot at a Valentine's Day dead prez concert at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington last week. That incident spawned conflicting reports over dp's role in quelling the crowd, who reacted to police arresting a man in the audience by throwing rocks and shouting protests.
Concerts have been banned at Evergreen following the melee, which resulted in thousands of dollars worth of damage to four police vehicles.
Source: sohh.com
According to Reuters reports, some 3,000 people gathered at the Fields mall outside Copenhagen to attend a free performance by the R&B singer. A number of concertgoers responded violently after police attempted to evacuate the building during a fire alarm.
"It was a free concert and we knew that many people would come, but there were a lot of people there, more than we had expected," Fields director Jens Geppel told Reuters.
While a large amount of fans arrived hours before the scheduled event, Geppel said many were turned away due to space limitations. Some 1,000 fans were allowed to enter a concert area of the mall for the performance, while others were only permitted to watch the show from a distance. When the mall fire alarm (which later proved to be false) interrupted Akon's third song, police attempted to evacuate the disappointed crowd and were met with protests and physical attacks. Several dozen concertgoers threw bottles and rocks at the authorities.
While no serious injuries were reported, emergency services were summoned to the scene to treat fans injured during the confusion. Eight people were arrested during the melee.
"It's a pity that not everyone got to see the concert," Geppel said, promising plans to investigate how things went wrong.
The confrontation in Denmark follows what has been termed as a mini-riot at a Valentine's Day dead prez concert at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington last week. That incident spawned conflicting reports over dp's role in quelling the crowd, who reacted to police arresting a man in the audience by throwing rocks and shouting protests.
Concerts have been banned at Evergreen following the melee, which resulted in thousands of dollars worth of damage to four police vehicles.
Source: sohh.com