Chaos spilled outside Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, October 23, as Travis Scott’s highly-anticipated Utopia: Circus Maximus tour started off in Melbourne. Thousands of excited fans had lined up outside at the sold-out show, awaiting entry into the venue; however, it all took a turn, and there was complete breakdown of order, with fans breaking through fences into the area, littering, and impunity against staff warnings.
The trouble began hours before the show, as fans grew restless amid long wait times.
Hundreds were outside the venue, and it wasn’t long before frustration overflowed: fans forced their way through barriers, others through fences, and still others climbed over sections of broken barriers. Other people heaved trash around the area, leaving a chaotic scene. The scene started to be increasingly disrupted in disarray as some fans refused to follow directions from event staff to add to the challenges of maintaining order. It soon became quite difficult for the security teams on site to handle the increasing mob. Trying their best, the large number of concertgoers made it very hard to keep the situation at hand. The disruption heightened, as police on horseback entered to monitor and handle the crowd. The mounted officers were able to disperse parts of the unruly crowd and restore a level of control, yet damage to the fences of the venue and the litter from the event made a mark.
Witnesses spoke with concern about specific aberrant behavior by some fans, regarding general safety in the environment.
“‘It felt like things were getting out of hand really quickly,’ said one attendee who watched the chaos go down. ‘You could tell the security teams were overwhelmed.’ Others used the same rhetoric, calling the crowd’s unruly behavior possibly dangerous. No one was seriously injured, but this kind of disorderliness did raise several questions regarding crowd control at the event. Thing is, chaotic eventness did not deter the show, which went on as it should have. For people who actually got into the venue, they also witnessed the high-energy Travis Scott performance. This also brought into the attention of the local authorities to revise their protocols with regard to security at any future events. Authorities are working to make sure such disruptions do not happen again, especially given how popular Scott’s shows have been running and the size of the crowds they attract. Travis Scott’s Utopia: Circus Maximus tour has been a highly covered event across the globe, with sold-out audiences reported at nearly each stop. But with all that excitement comes the growing concern of knowing how to truly manage those overwhelming numbers of people. The latest incident in Melbourne underlined that budding need for an effective crowd management strategy to fall into place, particularly after incidents that have happened during Scott’s shows.
But his concerts are just as often known for electric energy that tends to push the boundaries of security teams who try to keep all people sound and safe. In the wake of the Melbourne incident, one can be quite certain that both the authorities and event organizers will be much more vigilant in preparation for the next leg of the tour to ensure tighter security protocols that will deter any similar events from happening.
