Already from the start something was up.
I called ahead to The Forum box office at approximately 10:21 pm because I was running late and to make arrangements to get my press tickets. The operator told me it was sold out, in an exasperated tone. So I had to explain that I already had tickets and all she could say was that things were “on standby” and no one was getting tickets at the moment. Driving past the front of the venue, about 10 minutes later, it didn’t look chaotic, but all the parking gates to get into the lot were closed. At the end of the road on the east side, I spoke with the traffic officer regarding what I should do. The lots were closed, she said there was “no place” to park, and the other road connecting to the west side was blocked off because the police vehicles were there. Luckily, she let me park on the side of the road while I went on foot to talk to one of the many event staff hanging around at the closed off parking entrance. I saw open spots, I just wanted to get in and see what’s up. The man I spoke with there was not helpful, and it was frustrating. He said the event was over-sold and the music hasn’t been playing for a few hours, and he thought he heard Crystal Castles earlier in the night. That’s it. He kept saying it was “on-standby” but it didn’t look promising since it was delayed nearly three hours.
However, standing beside me was a young woman who said she worked with HARD. Her story was different. She said they had been “watching the tickets to the very last minute.” It was not over-sold, and she said it was all the Fire Marshall’s fault the event was stalled and they had worked really hard to make the event happen. While we were talking, the man had opened up the parking gate to let a car out, and then he left his post [no joke], so I drove my car inside and set off towards the west side where the box office and VIP tent was. I did see one ambulance moving inside the premises; however, it didn’t seem to be rushing a hurt individual. There were lots of kids hanging around, nothing sketchy happening, they were just loitering.
It was 11:17 pm at this point. Still no music. There was no way I was getting to the box office. It was blocked off and three event staff were standing there plus a security supervisor. I have an accurate timeline because I texted my editor to give him a heads up about what the situation was. No one was getting in. No one was coming out, either. At this point I learned that SWAT was inside. First, I didn’t know what she was saying. Then I saw the helicopter circling overhead and processed what she had said. The SWAT Team was here. This event staff person said that the problem was because kids were jumping from one tier to a lower one and there were too many people in the aisles. People had rushed the gates and there were individuals inside who didn’t have tickets. According to her, the situation began before the riot team arrived.
Lots of standing by the fire truck… so, I took out my camera and started talking to the other attendees around me. The consensus was that they wouldn’t go to another HARD event, many hadn’t gotten in, and from what they were saying, it sounded like there was an issue with security and making sure people were a) old enough and b) had tickets. Of course, some people were more than happy to talk to the camera, but overall, the attendees that I spoke with and the people in the parking lots were not causing any kind of commotion. I didn’t feel at-risk for a violent uprising. Did I expect something to happen? Yes. The traffic officer had hinted that I get out of there before anything “crazy started to happen because people are mad.”
HARD Summer Shut Down Reactions from URB Magazine on Vimeo.
What an unfortunate turn of events. One young man I spoke with was celebrating his birthday with his crew, had VIP passes, and apparently were friendly with Bloody Beetroots. Well, this group was not getting in, connections or not. Another pair told me that they had pawned items to scrounge up money for the tickets. I’d say that the music is what called these people out for a good time, and they were disappointed to not be getting the experience of seeing Underworld or the countless other acts; getting a refund wasn’t the point. I felt upset because I knew that the Electric Daisy Carnival earlier in the summer went over remarkably well, and I just wished that for HARD. It seems like there was a breakdown in communication and planning issues. But honestly, we don’t have enough confirmed details to say anything. For the record, I WOULD GO TO HARD MANSION.
Walking back to my car, people started emptying out, and I snapped some pix on my iPhone:
Officially, the HARD Summer website has this announcement:
“Dear Los Angeles, We are terribly sorry. Inglewood PD made the decision to shut down the event tonight much to our astonishment and yours. There are many questions to answer; rest assured you will be receiving your refunds. Please check back soon for more details. The show must go on…”
The LA Times’ music blog, Pop & Hiss, has this report:
“Saturday’s all-night electronic event Hard Summer at the Forum was shut down by midnight. The event was declared a “hazard” by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, according to an Inglewood police representative. Based on the county department’s recommendation, Hard Summer was called off. [Note: An earlier version of this post said the LAFD had made the recommendation; the LAFD is the city fire department, not the county department.] The Forum has a capacity of about 18,000 people. According to the Hard Summer website, the event was sold out. Attempts to reach the responding fire department were unsuccessful, and calls went straight to voice mail.”
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