ASEAN Music Festival 2017 Cancelled Due To Overcrowding, Artists React

The ASEAN Music Festival 2017 on Nov. 14 at the Ayala Triangle Garden in Makati City was cancelled a few hours after the start of the event due to safety and security concerns. According to the event’s organizing committee, they decided not to continue the performances because of overcrowding which caused some concert goers to faint and others to be injured.

According to an ABS-CBN report, the concert was already ongoing with local OPM band Parokya Ni Edgar performing first. During the performance, the crowd started pushing and shoving. leading to some barriers being toppled as well as some members of the crowd fainting.

The organizers stopped the performance and tried to calm the crowd. They eventually decided to cancel it altogether to keep from any more untoward incidents from happening.

Chito Miranda, Other Artists React To Cancellation

Parokya Ni Edgar’s frontman Chito Miranda took to Twitter to express his sentiments about the cancellation. He said that the organizers did not anticipate the large crowd that came to appreciate local and Asian music. His tweet which was accompanied with an aerial shot of the venue, also noted that organizers should be ready and prepared for events such as this next time around.

Raymond Marasigan, who was there with his band Sandwich, tweeted at 7:40 p.m. that the concert was “stalled because people are standing on seats.” He however commended the decision to stop the show so that no more people would get hurt.

Other Filipino bands in the line up agreed with the cancellation, saying that it was good that the organizers “chose to prioritize the safety of everyone,” said The Ransom Collective. They also thanked their fans and everyone who came to the event to support Filipino and Asian artists.

Crowd Control Issues With Over 20,000 Estimated Concertgoers

According to another ABS-CBN report, the police estimated around 20,000 people came to the venue. The space at Ayala Triangle Garden however is quite limited. In fact, the organizers were only expecting around 10,000 people to attend.

Concertgoers who fainted and those who sustained minor injuries due to the overcrowding were immediately treated by the onsite emergency medical team composed of the Department of Health.

Sana nextym hindi na ma- underestimate kung gaano kabuhay ang local music scene. Di daw kasi nila ine-expect na ganun kadami ang pupunta kaya di nila napaghandaan ng maayos. Buti nalang walang major injuries. May this serve as a lesson na maging mas handa nextym.😊 Long live OPM! pic.twitter.com/WjS4V4R8JR

— Alfonso Miranda Jr (@chitomirandajr) November 14, 2017

the show is stalled because people are standing on seats.

IMHO monoblocks in shows with rock bands dont usually go well together 😳😂😎

— Raymund Marasigan (@raymsmercygun) November 14, 2017