Safety Concerns Stop STS9 Show
Police in Asheville, N.C., pulled the plug early on a recent concert at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium after the crowd became unruly.
As authorities tried to help the patients, some fans began throwing bottles and other items in their direction. Watch Commander Gary Gudac said the promoter, venue officials and police all agreed to end the concert early given safety and security concerns and the crowd of around 1,400 was dispersed, WHNS reported.
Four people were arrested. EMS workers who responded reportedly identified ketamine as the cause of at least two of the overdoses.
An investigation into what other substances may have been involved is ongoing. All seven of the people who were transported to a nearby hospital were treated and released.
Promoter Ashley Capps of AC Entertainment told the local Citizen-Times the incident was the first in his 35 years in the business that he’s seen a concert shut down early for such a problem.
“The safety of our patrons – the safety of everyone involved in our events – is always our number one focus,” Capps said. “Unfortunately, the actions of a small handful of people at Saturday night’s concert jeopardized their own health and safety and potentially put others in the audience at risk as well. As a result, the very difficult decision was made to end the show about half an hour early.”
STS9 also addressed the incident on Facebook, writing, “We were indeed asked to wrap things up a little bit early due to some folks at the show that needed some extra medical attention. We hope everyone is feeling better today. It’s a good reminder to keep an eye on our friends and family out there and try to help everyone make solid decisions.”
