‘Safety first’: Federation Square chief shut down gig to avoid crowd crush

3 weeks ago 4

The last-minute cancellation of a free concert featuring Amyl and the Sniffers on Friday night was necessary to avoid a potentially catastrophic crowd crush after hundreds of people attempted to jump over barriers to the open-air venue, the head of Federation Square says.

On Saturday, Katrina Sedgwick, chief executive of Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation – which manages Federation Square – defended the levels of security for the event and said sufficient planning had taken place beforehand. However, she conceded they may have to change how they stage events there in future.

Thousands of people filled Federation Square on Friday night before being informed the free concert had been cancelled.

Thousands of music fans were devastated after the free concert was called off about 15 minutes before members of the Grammy-nominated Australian band were due to take the stage.

Sedgwick apologised on Saturday both to Amyl and the Sniffers – who expressed frustration on social media at the cancellation – and to the thousands of fans who missed out on seeing them perform.

The Australian band, which has developed a huge following in recent years, was the opening act for AC/DC at its Thursday night concert at the MCG.

“We are so sorry that so many fans are so disappointed, and we sincerely apologise to the bands who were devastated, but as I say, Fed Square will always put safety first,” Sedgwick said.

Federation Square reached its capacity of 10,000 people at 7.40pm and closed entry to the concert, she said.

But large groups gathered at the square’s perimeter, mainly near the emergency gates, and pushed past security which prompted her decision to cancel the show 10 to 15 minutes before it was due to start.

“There was a large group of people seeking to breach the perimeter after the event was full, and once they had, it was not possible to control the site, and we are not prepared to have an event that has a real risk of crowd crush.”

Despite the cancellation, Sedgwick said Federation Square – which has over the years hosted performances by major acts including Robbie Williams and Kneecap – was still an appropriate venue for free concerts.

Thousands of people gathered at Federation Square on Friday for the gig.

“We just didn’t anticipate hundreds of people damaging property,” she said. “We are committed to being able to keep on doing this [hosting free concerts]. We’re not going to let last night spoil that, but we are going to have to review how we do it, and there will be changes,” she said.

Sedgwick did not theorise what changes would be made, but said decisions would be made next week.

She also insisted that the venue’s security was sufficient. Sedgwick did not disclose how many security guards were working at Federation Square for the event but confirmed there were “dozens” and did not dispute a claim there were about 50 present on Friday night.

“We closed the square when it was at capacity, and it was fenced off with appropriate fencing and an appropriate level of security for this kind of event. We had a very detailed plan.”

The cancellation was first announced on a large screen at Federation Square, 10 to 15 minutes before the planned 8.30pm performance was due to begin, sparking chants from the crowd.

Taking to social media after the cancellation, Amyl and the Sniffers’ lead vocalist, Amy Taylor, said the event had been cancelled because “the fences got crushed in and the cops shut it down”.

“Fuming and ready to go,” she wrote, “we are so sorry the show is cancelled due to the event not organising proper security. The barriers being broken in has made them deem it unsafe to play.”

Police said they were called to the square after reports of people “attempting to gain access to an event before it was cancelled”.

“No offences were detected,” a spokesperson said.

Amyl fans Meg Hill and Lyra Philp travelled from Apollo Bay for the gig and said they were disappointed that event staff didn’t anticipate the size of the crowd.

“I think people were pushing down the barriers, but they should have anticipated that,” Philp said.

Disappointed fans (from left) Isabel Cook, Lyra Philp and Meg Hill at Federation Square on Friday night.

“It’s a free event, a huge band, what are they thinking?”

Isabel Cook, also from Apollo Bay, said she spent all of her spare money on travelling to the gig to see her favourite band play for the first time.

“They’re one of my favourite artists and I’ve wanted to see them for ages. I was so excited, I thought it was a joke when it came on the screen,” Cook said.

The concert, presented by Federation Square, the City of Melbourne and Double J, was advertised as a free gig offering “exclusive” tour merchandise for those who missed out at the AC/DC concert.

Later in the evening, big lines were seen outside the Cherry Bar in the CBD, where Amyl and the Sniffers put $5000 on the bar to make good for the cancellation.

Labour in Vain in Fitzroy was also at capacity. Both bars were among seven the band committed to donate bar tabs to.

With Kieran Rooney

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