Organizers of the South by Southwest Music Festival said they’re taking lessons learned from a volatile situation at a free concert Thursday night and made improvements for the remaining performances on Friday and Saturday evenings.
At Auditorium Shores Thursday night, a free concert featuring the popular rock band 'The Strokes' turned ugly. Between 5,000 and 7,000 music fans pressed against the fence after the gates closed because the place was getting full.
“We reached capacity at about 15,000 and made the decision based on a visual inspection of safety that we would shut the gates,” said Catlin Whittington with SXSW.
Whittington said there were a few people who suffered minor injuries in the process.
“Literally you could see all of these kids were climbing over the chain link fences, the little temporary fences. So it was a recipe for disaster,” said Chuck Tatum who was there Thursday night.
On Friday evening at Auditorium Shores event organizers said they beefed up the security forces and revamped the way people enter at the gate.
The free concert series sponsored by SXSW is the way event organizers thank Austin and the surrounding communities. However, some wonder if the popular free event has become a victim of its own success. Or if a larger venue should be considered for next year?
“There is a question of whether an act is too big for this space. Then at the same time it's also a question of is there another venue to support this that's within the proximity to our event downtown?” questioned Whittington.
Organizers said there are no immediate plans to change the free concert venue from Auditorium Shores.
Friday night’s big headliner was 'Blue October'. Saturday night is 'Bright Eyes'.
Organizers expect 10,000 to 12,000 people at Auditorium Shores both Friday and Saturday.
