Nearly 30 Hospitalised During All-Ages Avicii Concert

May 19, 2014

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At least 29 punters have been hospitalised for illnesses related to drugs and alcohol consumption, following an all-ages concert by EDM superstar Avicii in Toronto on Saturday night. Safety personnel at the venue were “overwhelmed” by the number of sick attendees in the 20,000+ crowd.

As The Toronto Star reports, medical personnel at the Rogers Centre were on standby, but staff reportedly became overwhelmed by the number of punters requiring medical assistance and EMS were called to the scene. Of the attendees hospitalised, 10 arrived before Avicii even took the stage.

CTV News reports five punters were in serious condition, but are expected to make full recoveries. Initial reports indicated that several patients had overdosed on drugs or alcohol. “Unfortunately we have a few kids… excessive alcohol and partying and they can’t handle it,” EMS Commander Peter Rotolo explained to CP24. “There’s a lot of people here and a few don’t spoil it for the rest.”

With at least one person who has since been arrested on drug charges, Toronto’s local government is already swooping in. On Sunday morning, Toronto City Counsellor Giorgio Mammoliti said he held promoter Ink Entertainment responsible for the illnesses, as they insisted on an all-ages show.

“This only proves that it doesn’t matter whether these events are held on privately owned or government lands, they are dangerous events to hold as ‘all-ages,’ allowing kids to be present,” said Mammoliti in a press release, also reserving blame for the parents of concert attendees.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child and, as a member of that village, I want to stop the irresponsible decisions made by other parents,” he said. The city counsellor is now reportedly looking to bill Ink Entertainment the EMS charges for each of the hospitalised concert-goers.

The news comes just weeks after the organisers of Miami’s Ultra Music Festival landed in hot water after their 2014 event saw multiple arrests, one death, and the near-fatal trampling of a security guard. The city’s response was swift, threatening to ban Ultra Music Festival from Miami.

Gallery: Avicii – Riverstage, Brisbane 24/01/14

Photos by Rebecca Reid