LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Safety protocols at general admission concerts are being looked at more closely following a deadly weekend at a music festival in Texas.
It was pure chaos over the weekend as eight people died while attending the Astroworld Festival in Houston. Rapper Travis Scott was on stage as the crowd began pushing closer to him, some being caught up in the crush of fans.
“After the terrible tragedy this past weekend, we are taking a look to make sure that we are doing everything that we can,” said Christian Adelberg, vice president of marketing for The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.
Old Forester Paristown Hall is used to general admission shows. While it’s a far cry from a crowd of 50,000 in Houston, the hall does hold 2,000, which can still provide its own set of challenges.
“Crowd-surfing is not allowed, mosh pits are not allowed, and that is because safety is so important, especially with a large crowd,” Adelberg said.
Many of the general admission venues in Louisville are two stories, unlike the Astroworld Festival. From the second level, security can watch the swells and surges of the crowd and notify security up front if someone has fallen in the back.
“If we see a situation that could become dangerous, the head of security has the ability to pull the audio feed and play an emergency message and shut it down,” Adelberg said.
Even smaller venues like Zanzabar — with a capacity of about 300 — is planning on traffic control when Louisville rapper Jack Harlow comes back to town next month.
Zanzabar owners and those with four other venues sometimes meet after shows to assess security and recommend changes depending on each artist and fanbase. It already has plans in place traffic control for Harlow's show.
“Security is able to just get a feel for who is going to be coming in," Adelberg said. "'Is it a really excited crowd? Is it potentially an out-of-hand crowd?'"
Paristown Hall usually has around 16 security guards for high-energy, high-demand shows. All five of Harlow’s December shows in Louisville sold out in minutes.
Adelberg said fans will go through metal detectors and will have bags checked, which is standard procedure.
“It's only a few people at a time that will be coming in so that there is no big mad rush coming into the door," he said.
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