Fans of the illustrious Colombian musician Juanes say organizers of his SummerStage concert failed to adequately prepare for the massive outpouring of attendees — creating dangerous conditions for concertgoers and employees.
Juanes’ free show on Wednesday night attracted 5,000 people inside the official venue, and more than 12,000 people outside, according to organizers with SummerStage. The show was interrupted after two songs and the event was vacated for safety reasons.
But attendees say organizers and New York City officials missed the mark on preparations, resulting in potentially catastrophic crowd control hazards. The concert was widely anticipated to draw gargantuan crowds thanks to Juanes’ prominence as a Latin American cultural icon.
“When I saw that they were having Juanes as a free concert at SummerStage, I thought to myself they must be out of their minds,” said Pamela Mazza, a licensed mental health counselor from the Bronx who started lining up at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Because people were climbing in through the bushes, going in over fences, pushing down the barricades … it’s lucky that it didn’t go worse than it did. Because if 12,000 people outside had managed to force their way in,” she said, “there would have been a tragedy.”
Gothamist spoke to the short-lived concert’s attendees on Wednesday, as well as others who attempted to get in but were dissuaded by the long line, which extended from the east to the west side of Central Park.
Fans said they were shocked at the relatively small police presence — with descriptions ranging from just two to six officers — early Wednesday evening, despite the presence of dedicated attendees who lined up as early as noon. There was arguing, pushing, and in one description, fist fighting, which originated with fans trying to get into the event, according to people who spoke to Gothamist.
And fans who made it into the audience area said they felt unprotected from an increasingly erratic…
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