A Red Rocks Amphitheater employee, when hailstorms pelted the concert audience Wednesday night, spoke critically of the decision to postpone the performance, which he said gave fans hope the show would go on as planned.
The announcement to seek shelter was made just three minutes before the hailstorm hit, the employee said. The fans had no chance to get to their cars.
Conversely, there isn’t nearly enough space in the venue’s premises to accommodate the large crowd, he said.
The employee agreed to be interviewed by CBS News Colorado on condition of anonymity. The employee said he has more than a decade of work experience at Red Rocks but could be fired for speaking out about the incident.
He also dismissed claims by fans on social media that Red Rocks staff looked on and laughed while fans who couldn’t find shelter suffered from the elements, although he readily admitted he didn’t witness all of the behavior during the storm .
RELATED Concert-goer describes her experience at Red Rocks after the hailstorm: “The scariest 15 minutes of my life”
Almost 100 people were injured by the storm. Eight people were hospitalized.
West Metro Fire Rescue
Hail knocks out concert-goers at Red Rocks on Wednesday night
There were actually two delays. The employee said the first one was made on time.
“There were three acts in all that night,” he said. “It was announced over the loudspeakers that the second act would be cancelled. The venue decides.”
The weather did not turn stormy immediately and many fans stopped to keep their seats in the general admission (first come, first served) seats.
But when the wind started whipping about 15 minutes before the downpour and stagehands decided to lower large digital monitors that swayed above the stage, he felt the decision to cancel should have been made.
“There was hope, but it really should be time to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and get people moving,” the staffer said. “You could stand in the amphitheater and look up and say, ‘That doesn’t look right.’ I think it was obvious something was brewing and it wasn’t going to be a safe situation.
The second warning urged fans to “go to their car,” he said. But there was no time.
When the hail hit, he and other staff tried to get people to the sides of the stage, into the hallways, into the restrooms, and into the visitor center. Anywhere there was a roof. But there’s not enough space at the outdoor concert venue to accommodate a “nearly full house.” The same exposure to nature’s offerings that makes attending a show at this iconic venue a wish-list for many fans – some no doubt inspired by U2’s rainy 1983 rendition of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” – makes viewers too elements delivered.
Tell it to the badly injured and your concession workers who wouldn’t let them in and instead laughed at them and filmed them.
Somebody better call Franklin D. Azar. pic.twitter.com/e01wJo2S03
— LeftwardSwing ♿🕊️ 💉 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 (@LeftwardSwing) June 22, 2023
The anonymous staffer said he did not see other staff barring fans from the shelters or laughing at them, as some fans claimed the day after.
“I personally haven’t seen it. Very disturbing. I know we’ve had a lot of people have panic attacks. A lot of chaos. Some people (employees) were frozen. Most of them were pointing fingers at her and saying, ‘Go that way, go that way.’”
CBS
“Reading this (about the allegations) breaks my heart. I would have slapped someone if I heard or saw them make fun of the fans. You stay professional, you stay calm. Anyone who did this should be fired.”
The cars of the roughly 100 workers, he added, were damaged or destroyed, as were the fans, and many were battling what he interpreted as post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms less than 24 hours later.
“I think that’s unprecedented,” lamented the employee. “I have never seen an event go so wrong. So many people were hurt, so many people were traumatized. It was just surreal.”
The incident prompts reflection on the feasibility of building more shelters at an outdoor amusement facility that is already surrounded by parking lots in difficult terrain. the distinction between public safety and personal responsibility; and from the reliability of entertainment management to predicting unsafe weather conditions for thousands of people.
RELATED Red Rocks Hailstorm: Cellphone Videos and Photos Show Terrifying Scene
On Friday, as social media filled with images of vulnerable concertgoers struggling in the maelstrom, the park issued a statement.
We would like to take a moment to appreciate last night’s severe weather at Red Rocks and to extend our sincere best wishes to everyone affected by last night’s storms across Colorado. pic.twitter.com/rTgPI7UGvq
— Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater (@RedRocksCO) June 22, 2023
The response was not well received by many, including the staff member we spoke to.
“Where’s the responsibility? What’s the next step?” he said. “It’s a little worrying how the reaction is. It feels like a general ‘don’t care’ attitude.”
Later in an interview, Brian Kitts of the City of Denver Arts and Venues said, “I think we’re going to put a little more focus on telling fans to keep one eye on the stage and one eye on the sky.” And when we say it is time to take shelter, then do it quickly because that means it is an emergency situation.”
Louis Tomlinson, the headliner who never made it onto the stage that night, responded with condolences to his fans the next day. And a promise.