Music

Avicii concert called a 'mass casualty event' after 50 were injured in Boston

by Mark Teo

It’s always sad to hear about mass injuries at a concert—as Canadians, how could we ever forget about the stage collapses at Downsview Park and the Ottawa Bluesfest?—but a recent Avicii concert in Boston was especially tragic.

Mostly, that was due to the gaudy amount of people injured: 50 people were treated, while more than 30 were taken to the hospital while witnessing the Swedish EDM star. And the headlines felt especially sensationalist—some focused on how young the hospitalized were, with most concert-goers ranging from 16-25; others focused on the oppressive heat at the TD Garden; more pointed to the role of mollies in the rash of illnesses.

“The word I’m getting from our drug people, they believe that it was a lot of voluntary ingestion of Molly,” Boston Police spokesman Sergeant Michael McCarthy told The Boston Globe, noting that five drug-dealing arrests were made at the concert. “We’re aware that this type of event can draw a crowd where drugs and alcohol seem to be prevalent.”

Others pointed to the extreme heat in the venue—something that could cause extreme dehydration. “You couldn’t breathe if you were on the floor,” 19-year-old concertgoer Mike Santostefano also told the Globe. “It was the best and worst time ever… a lot of people who couldn’t handle themselves. People who don’t do drugs come here and do drugs.”

While nothing appeared fatal, the sheer amount of injuries sustained had city officials declaring the event a Level 2 Mass Casualty event. The Boston Public Health Commission, spokesperson McKenzie Ridings told Rolling Stone, had to “notify area hospitals of the potential for 11-30 incoming patients and allow for them to be prepared for that influx.”

Avicii, meanwhile, took to Twitter to express his condolences.

Check footage of the event below.