Earlier this year, Phoebe Bridgers announced that she would bring her 2021 Reunion Tour to the new year. Bridgers announced performances in North America and Europe between April 13 and August 28. On Tuesday night, made a stop in Toronto, and while she may have expected things to be smooth sailing, fans who attended the show claimed that the night was anything but that. In a report from the Toronto Star, some concertgoers said they were “unsafe” at the show while others described moments of people being “violently trampled” and eventually requiring medical attention.
thread: phoebe bridgers fans were violently trampled at her toronto show, had to get medical attention during her set, and multiple people passed out. what the hell @RBCEchoBeach. https://t.co/7lg58XafPc
— Jill Krajewski (@JillKrajewski) June 8, 2022
i was right at the front of the group going in and it was an actual bloodbath, people hitting each other, tripping, getting shoved to the ground, people were coming in covered in bloody scrapes… never been to a more poorly organized concert in my life
— syd (@COSMlCSYD) June 8, 2022
@RBCEchoBeach i am here at phoebe bridgers tonight and i watched people trample each other and get pushed over rocks. you need a new system. this is UNSAFE
— riri
saw phoebe (@riverroadxangel) June 7, 2022
The publication spoke to Sammy Talukder, a 16-year-old from Kitchener, who was one of the dozens of fans who camped out overnight in order to get a front-row spot at the show. Around 5:30pm local time, venue security allowed attendees to enter the building but only in groups of 20. However, when fans got passed security, Talukder says that they were not allowed to approach the stage which created a bottleneck of “100 to 200 people.” Once fans were allowed to approach the stage, it was reported that a violent rush ensued as fans made their way towards the stage.
“It was basically a stampede,” Talukder said to the Toronto Star. “People were pushing other people and then everyone started running. I lost all my friends, I was alone. People were falling, my foot was stomped on by some girl.” Talukder continued, “I felt so scared and unsafe. And I was alone from all my friends. It was really scary.”
Additionally, multiple fans confirmed that Bridgers was forced to stop her show multiple times in order for fans to receive medical attention.
At the end of the night, Toronto Paramedic Services said that it transported two patients with minor injuries from Echo Beach on Tuesday night. Live Nation Canada also noted that “there was no trampling at the venue.” They continued, “Last night’s show was proactively paused a few times so medical staff could assist fans who were experiencing dehydration. Safety is always our top priority and we worked in close collaboration with medical authorities throughout the evening.”