Night 2 of Electric Daisy
Carnival shut down amid strong winds, safety concerns
By Andrea Domanick
From Las Vegas Sun 06/10/12
The 2012 Electric Daisy Carnival is
shut down the early morning hours of Sunday, June 10, 2012, due to
high winds and safety precautions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Saturday night at the 2012 Electric
Daisy Carnival was anticipated by many to be the most eventful of
the three-day festival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but extreme
weather forced the festival to shut down its acts for the night out
of safety concerns.
Increasingly strong winds started around 8 p.m., leading to a
temporary shutdown of the festival around 1 a.m. An estimated 90,000
fans were directed to the speedway’s bleachers as winds reached 30
mph. The acts resumed for a short period, but officials then ordered
an end to the night's festival because potentially dangerous winds
were expected through 5 a.m.
"At 2:45 a.m. Insomniac, the producer of Electric Daisy Carnival,
Las Vegas, in consultation with public safety officials, made the
decision that due to extremely high wind conditions, the crowd would
be cleared away from the stage areas," said a statement released by
promoters. "The decision was made out of an abundance of caution and
with fan safety in mind."
Fans inside the festival were allowed stay until 5:30 a.m. in the
infield grass, where music from temporary sound systems was played.
But gates were closed to arrivals, and the night's attendance topped
at about 90,000.
"Insomniac shares our fans' disappointment that weather conditions
changed the second night of the Electric Daisy Carnival experience,"
said Insomniac CEO Pasquale Rotella. "Our top priority has always
been fan safety, and we expect that Mother Nature will be more
cooperative tomorrow [Sunday] as we prepare for an amazing day
three."
At first, the hope was that the winds would subside. A venue-wide
announcement over the PA system said, “This is for your safety, this
is a temporary situation. The music will continue as soon as the
wind dies." Crowds were asked to keep at least 100 feet from the
stage.
According to festival security, the situation came as a preventive
measure to avoid any risk posed to the integrity of the seven
temporary stages. Last year, a music stage at the Indiana State Fair
collapsed amid high winds, killing five and injuring dozens of
others.
Fans made their way to the grandstand, though many were frustrated
to have the sets of headliners like Scottish DJ Calvin Harris cut
off. At one point, the crowd herded into the north end of the stands
began chanting “refund.”
“I’m just glad they’re making sure we’re safe,” said Las Vegas
resident Amy Messmann, who also attended last year’s festival.
“Everyone here knows it’s for their own safety. They’re here for a
good time, and they know being rowdy or violent isn’t going to turn
the music on faster.”
Notes from the night:
• At 1 a.m., Don Chareunsy, the Sun’s arts and entertainment editor,
began the trek home with two friends after standing in the entrance
line at the speedway for about an hour. “The line was moving, but
then it stopped for about 20 to 25 minutes. Nobody was being let
inside, then people were emerging from the speedway saying that EDC
was closed for the night.
“Naturally, people were upset and disappointed -- the festivalgoer
who didn’t even make it past the ID check lines with his blown-up
green alien looked especially sad -- but you can’t control Mother
Nature. It was really windy and a little cold for Las Vegas.”
When Chareunsy dropped off his friends at the Cosmopolitan, shuttles
were still departing the casino resort for EDC.
• At 1:50 a.m., attendees were cleared to return to the venue, but
winds picked up again. Half an hour later, performers had yet to
return to the stages.
• At 2:10 a.m., Insomniac released the following statement:
With approximately 90,000 fans who have cleared the turnstiles as of
1 a.m. tonight, Insomniac, the producer of Electric Daisy Carnival,
Las Vegas asked fans to calmly head to the stands of Las Vegas Motor
Speedway as high winds posed a possible threat to fan safety.
At approximately 1 a.m., Insomniac, in conjunction with public
safety officials, made the decision to temporarily halt the show
while an evaluation on wind conditions was made.
“Fan safety is Insomniac’s highest priority. We cannot control
Mother Nature, and we are taking every precaution while high winds
continue and have cleared the stage areas temporarily as a
preventative measure,” said Pasquale Rotella, the founder and CEO of
Insomniac. “We are asking fans to be patient inside and outside the
venue while we evaluate the weather conditions.”
“As winds are being assessed, a final decision on the status of the
production is pending.”
• Overheard on the security radio at 2:30 a.m.: The fire marshal was
shutting down the festival for the rest of the night. Traffic
reports showed a high volume of attendees leaving around the same
time.
• By 2:45 a.m., Metro officers onsite were confirming that the fire
marshal had shut down all performances and rides at the festival as
the enormous Circuit Grounds stage suffered damage, and winds were
expected to remain around 30 mph until 5 a.m.
However, attendees weren’t yet being kicked out and were welcome to
remain at LVMS. As of now, the festival will continue with today’s
events as planned beginning at 7 p.m.
• At 3:06 a.m., festivalgoers were told to exit the speedway.
EDC by the numbers — Night 2
4 – Misdemeanor citations
4 – Misdemeanor arrests
12 – Felony arrests (all narcotics related)
2 – Traffic accidents
160 – Medical calls (three people were transported to area
hospitals)
6 – Patients transported to area hospitals
90,000 – Attendees (per Insomniac Productions)
18 – Ejections (per Insomniac Productions)
— Statistics provided by Metro Police
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