The shambles at Longitude yesterday

wonderwall900

It looks like a certain promoter will be in more hot water following yesterday's crush at the gig. Reports of a 90 minute wait to get in, a stampede when the gates opened and some lad broke his leg.

The promoter has come under fire on Facebook in the past few hours and has posted this

An apology

The opening hour of yesterday's entry was not what I wanted. We had encouraged people to arrive early and they heeded the encouragement to a greater level than anticipated making that first hour difficult and I owe those caught up in it an apology.

However, every single person caught up in the shock of the uncomfortable start was able to continue into the concert and enjoy the day despite that. As you would anticipate, my teams have worked throughout the night to improve the entry for today and tomorrow so everyone can enjoy Longitude at its best.

Melvin Benn,
Managing Director,
Festival Republic

The_Valeyard

Uh oh....

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I'm shocked and stunned. Shocked and stunned.

Are Am Eye

I don't hold out much hope for the longevity of this thread.

KungPao

I had a look at the lineup...why the big rush in?

Teddington Cuddlesworth

Bum shorts

Gatling

Thanks to longitude I had to witnesse several ladies walking around my local shopping centre with nothing but shiny stickers covering their boobs ,

Seriously shocking

eeguy

Longiqueued

bigpink

Drunk kids and scummers rushing in not surprised

wonderwall900

Looks like it was mayhem. Some of the posts from social media

Not good enough. People were treated like cattle. I didn't see anyone getting searched. There could have been knives brought into the venue yesterday. Security staff didn't know what they were doing and couldn't care less.

An absolute shambles of an operation. You knew how many people you sold tickets to and should have been prepared for it. Your 'apology' was immediately negated when you followed it up with your assumption that everyone went on to enjoy their day. That's an insult.

Melvin,

Uncomfortable start is really putting it mildly.. so many young people eagerly anticipated this festival at great expense .. there should have been a better system in place to ensure safety .. I dropped young girls to this yesterday including my daughter and I am horrified to learn about the chaos that occurred. People were pushed and shoved to the extent of it causing injuries .. the guards seems baffled as to how this had happened.. it's not acceptable for such a large venue/festival to have such a lack of crowd control in place .. I am surprised people weren't more seriously harmed ..

I just spoke to my daughter who witnessed this. To be clear, the collapsing of barriers and crowds of people getting trampled and crushed is far from "uncomfortable' and I am extremely concerned about the health and safety measures and standards that YOU are responsible for are in place today to prevent this.

Have you notified the Health and Safety Authority about this incident? What have you done to assess this risk and mitigate against it?

Sonics2k

For a moment there I thought there was a band called The Shambles and now I'm disappointed.

Barry Badrinath

Gatling wrote: »

Thanks to longitude I had to witnesse several ladies walking around my local shopping centre with nothing but shiny stickers covering their boobs ,

Seriously shocking

Thats an absolute disgrace.

Where's that shop.

Winterlong

Teddington Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Bum shorts

I was passing Marley yesterday and saw more bum cheeks than Magaluf.

wordofwarning

KungPao wrote: »

I had a look at the lineup...why the big rush in?

Well if you downed a nagging on the bus, you want to make sure you get in before it hits you

GhostyMcGhost

eeguy wrote: »

Longiqueued

A career with the daily star awaits you

Richard Hillman

All that just to stop people bringing alcohol into the venue and instead spend €6 and a half hour queuing at a bar.

Richard Hillman

Gatling wrote: »

Thanks to longitude I had to witnesse several ladies walking around my local shopping centre with nothing but shiny stickers covering their boobs ,

Seriously shocking

Just like Oxegen/Witness, It started off as a indie/rock festival and then they directed themselves towards Nackeragua. All the local scummers in my area seem be out there today.

wordofwarning

wordofwarning wrote: »

Well if you downed a nagging on the bus, you want to make sure you get in before it hits you

A nagging? :pac:

AndrewJRenko

Richard Hillman wrote: »

All that just to stop people bringing alcohol into the venue and instead spend €6 and a half hour queuing at a bar.

I hear that they are short of bar staff today, so it could well be an hour or more to queue.

uck51js9zml2yt

Passed Marley at lunch time. Lots and lots of Gardai. I just hope nothing happens elsewhere in the city!

me_irl

Just looked at the lineup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGrfhsxxmdE

Robsweezie

someone wanna ring joe?

wonderwall900

me_irl wrote: »

Just looked at the lineup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGrfhsxxmdE

I too couldn't tell you a single song by Skepta or Stormzy. They both sound like villains in a Marvel movie.

Esse85

Robsweezie wrote: »

someone wanna ring joe?

That fella is too lazy to answer his phone.

Hilly Bill

It's just people not knowing how to queue and pass through barriers safely. It only takes a few goons to start shoving and running and it turns to **** very little the stewards can do then.

Mince Pie

Mr.S wrote: »

Richard Hillman wrote: »

All that just to stop people bringing alcohol into the venue and instead spend €6 and a half hour queuing at a bar.

To be fair, if they allowed you to bring drink in, it would be far more messier.

No it wouldn't. Reason people get twatted is because they down all their booze before going into the venue rather than drink **** Heineken and pay over €6 for the privilege.
Glastonbury has an open policy. The bars still do a roaring trade and rarely do you see anyone twatted like you would witness at any gig at Marley.

Richard Hillman

Mr.S wrote: »

To be fair, if they allowed you to bring drink in, it would be far more messier.

You can still ban alcohol but the searches are more stringent to have a complete crackdown on alcohol. You cant sneak that much booze in. A nagin of spirits was the most you could get in for older times. Now they are using the guise of a terror threat to insure nobody can bring fairly modest amounts of alcohol or food to a concert.

wonderwall900

Mince Pie wrote: »

No it wouldn't. Reason people get twatted is because they down all their booze before going into the venue rather than drink **** Heineken and pay over €6 for the privilege.
Glastonbury has an open policy. The bars still do a roaring trade and rarely do you see anyone twatted like you would witness at any gig at Marley.

It wouldnt work that way at over 14s festivals in Ireland as we're a nation of alcoholics. If it was a BYOB type policy there'd be complete carnage. Even worse than what was seen yesterday.

ghostdancer

Hilly Bill wrote: »

It's just people not knowing how to queue and pass through barriers safely. It only takes a few goons to start shoving and running and it turns to **** very little the stewards can do then.

yep, and the crowd yesterday seemed to be overwhelmingly under the age of 21, who seem to be the worst for being pushy, shovey, impatient brats at gigs.

AndrewJRenko

ghostdancer wrote: »

yep, and the crowd yesterday seemed to be overwhelmingly under the age of 21, who seem to be the worst for being pushy, shovey, impatient brats at gigs.

I was dog-walking when they were coming out of last night's gig. I was pleasantly surprised by how reasonable, sensible and sober they were. There were very few being carried out by mates. Maybe they all sobered up from earlier, but there were very few issues at that time - a few loud-mouthed lads, one group of girls singing, but that was it really.

They were much better behaved than the Stone Roses crowd from last year.

bucketybuck

If I wanted to hang out with a bunch of drunk and half naked fourteen year olds I would go to Longitude.

But I don't, so I don't.

emo72

Puts me off going to any outdoor festival. You can't bring your own food. You can't bring your own drink. You can't bring bottled water. You can't bring anything to make your trip comfortable or enjoyable. They really treat people like crap. Also with what happened at Hillsborough, I can't believe a big event company let a situation occur where there is a large crowd being funneled in. Amateurs.

seachto7

It was a disaster heading into Stone Roses last year too.

Mince Pie

seachto7 wrote: »

It was a disaster heading into Stone Roses last year too.

You couldn't get a buzz of you tried at that gig. Queues were ridiculous. We only bothered having one drink then splitting the minute it was over.

Mrs Shuttleworth

The access in and out of gigs at Marley baffles me. For a park in Rathfarnham you'd think you were making a trek across the Caucus.

Anytime I was at Longitude always found it impossible to get home, never saw these alleged shuttle buses ended up walking miles before sight of a taxi.

I love Marley - The Who in 2007 was one of the best gigs ever up there - but Longitude has always in truth felt a bit cramped. The main stage area as surrounded with food/drink stalls is very tight for the numbers attending.

TXFM closing and not sponsoring it as a consequence definitely is part of the change in lineup/tone this year.

That said I wouldn't mind being there tonight to see The Weeknd.

Neames

KungPao wrote: »

I had a look at the lineup...why the big rush in?

I thought they were trying to get out.

Neames

Gatling wrote: »

Thanks to longitude I had to witnesse several ladies walking around my local shopping centre with nothing but shiny stickers covering their boobs ,

Seriously shocking

What shopping centre was this?

Mooooo

No need to say come early., the early people would have gone in and then those that don't go early would have gone and the queue would have been manageable

Neames

Tori Silly Case wrote: »

Passed Marley at lunch time. Lots and lots of Gardai. I just hope nothing happens elsewhere in the city!

Gardai undercover...wearing Magaluf skimpy bum shorts drinking naggings.

Blut2

The skulling of naggins on the way in is definitely a huge (unnecessary) factor in the agro.

Barndance is a large BYOB day festival that runs every year without people dying of alcohol poisoning. People are generally quite sensible with such things when trusted with it.

Cork Lass

wordofwarning wrote: »

Well if you downed a nagging on the bus, you want to make sure you get in before it hits you

You must mean a naggin - a nagging is what us parents give them

RobbingBandit

Gods damn Hippies just send Cartman in with some Slayer to clear them out.

Tornaxx

wonderwall900 wrote: »

I too couldn't tell you a single song by Skepta or Stormzy. They both sound like villains in a Marvel movie.

As a 44 year old, even I know some of Stormzy's music (and I've no kids). I also know that he has just signed for Man United.

Mrs Shuttleworth

Tornaxx wrote: »

As a 44 year old, even I know some of Stormzy's music (and I've no kids). I also know that he has just signed for Man United.

Ditto all round. I think I'm ageing in reverse.

Having said watched Prince at Syracuse 1985 last night. Fxk me now there's a concert. Them young ones today are in the h'a penny place when it comes to hell raising.

Poor Uncle Tom

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

Ditto all round. I think I'm ageing in reverse.

Having said watched Prince at Syracuse 1985 last night. Fxk me now there's a concert. Them young ones today are in the h'a penny place when it comes to hell raising.

was only thinking the same myself earlier...

Zebra3

emo72 wrote: »

Puts me off going to any outdoor festival. You can't bring your own food. You can't bring your own drink. You can't bring bottled water. You can't bring anything to make your trip comfortable or enjoyable. They really treat people like crap. Also with what happened at Hillsborough, I can't believe a big event company let a situation occur where there is a large crowd being funneled in. Amateurs.

Skimp on expenditure.

Bigger profits.

A year later, punters still roll up.

In a way you can hardly blame them. People are mugs.

bodhrandude

Would Longitude be as lively as the Kinsale Regatta.

ToddyDoody

bodhrandude wrote: »

Would Longitude be as lively as the Kinsale Regatta.

Or, indeed, The Pilltown Agricultural Show Saturday August 26th.

bodhrandude

Judging by the photos I seen on the Longitude facebook page, it looked like really nice weather and it looked fairly chilled enough, someone posted a decent review in the Gigs and Events thread although the public transport leaving the place got a bit of a pasting.

smurgen

Love the way there wasn't a mention of the crush on Joe.ie.they were too busy trying to flog tickets the last few month to show any negative aspect to the concert.also the lineup is one of the worst i've seen.mumford and sons headlining today,jesus wept!

suicide_circus

Went to longitude one year, a shıtshow from beginning to end.