Fans defend Halsey after flooded concert ‘nearly killed them’

Fans have continued to come to Halsey’s defence after the singer cancelled a concert in Maryland due to a flood. The fans have also called the concert venue out for putting guests in a dangerous situation.

In a video posted to TikTok earlier this month, a woman named Kaida, whose username is @thelittlestdragonk, explained how she and other fans were “nearly killed,” while attending a Halsey’s concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland on 8 June.

Kaida noted that while the concert was “cancelled for good reason,” she didn’t think that it was Halsey’s fault. In fact, she went on to share details about the venue, which she called “unprofessional and unorganised”.

She claimed that while the location initially said that it wouldn’t let people line up for the concert until 5pm, fans still showed up at 4am, and the venue had planned to let the first 100 people in first. However, according to Kaida, they “didn’t honour their system,” as only the first 50 people were allowed to go in first, “30 minutes before anyone else”.

Kaida went on to describe how the venue wasn’t prepared for the huge crowd that showed up, so workers decided to rearrange the line in an attempt to “split people up” before entering.

“They did something that I’ve never seen a concert venue do,” she explained. “They split people up and put them in a separate exit. And then they were just telling us that they were going to just open both doors and let us figure it out.”

She shared a video of the line outside the concert venue, before explaining how people “started getting mad” and “talking to staff”.

After she got to her spot in the pit section of the venue, she thought that things were starting to “calm down”.

However, during the first act of the show, it began “pouring down rain” and drenching everyone outside. According to Kaida, the guests outside weren’t given the opportunity to go inside until the workers got a tornado warning.

She then explained how unprofessional the staff was throughout the situation and how she believed the concert should have been cancelled at the first sign of inclement weather.

“The whole time the staff is laughing, they’re telling jokes, they’re videotaping us without our permission,” she explained. “They’re making fun of us, even as water is falling from the ceilings onto people on to electronical items. It’s a dangerous situation.”

She shared a video of the crowd standing in the pit, as water was falling onto the group. Kadia also claimed that the laughter in the background was one of the workers.

Once the guests got the tornado warning, Kaida said that they were told that they could not leave -- despite the rain getting so bad that the pit was filling up with water.

She then shared a video of herself standing in a pool of water, as people are “screaming” to be let out and fearful of electrocution from the electrical wiring around them.

In a second video, Kaida emphasised how staff was “refusing” to let anyone leave. She claimed that when one girl made her way to the back and hit a staff member, who ultimately fell down, the entire crowd headed toward the exit.

Kaida claimed that while staff members were able to exit during the storm, that concert attendees were not. She detailed how the venue, Merriweather Post Pavilion, was not taking the situation seriously, as people were “passing out” and told go back to their seats on the lawn once the rain had stopped.

She added that guests were told to wait 15 minutes for another act to come on. After waiting an additional 25 minutes, guests were told that the concert was officially cancelled.

“The way that the Pavilion handled it,” she explained. “The way that their staff handled it, the way that they wouldn’t let people out in a dangerous situation, the way that they laughed, made fun of us, recorded us, and the way that they put people in a worse situation by making them go back on the lawn, making them go up back to the sky rafters that didn’t make no sense to me.”

As of 20 June, both of Kaida’s videos have nearly 1m views, with other TikTok users also coming to Halsey’s defence and agreeing that the venue put people’s safety at risk.

“I was there too! 100% not Halley’s fault at ALL. Last night was terrifying,” one wrote.

“As someone who worked in venues for years, this is dangerous and very bad practice, especially the entrances/exits,” another added.

A third person wrote: “Somebody needs to contact an attorney and start a class action lawsuit against the venue!”

Billboard corroborated Kaida’s account that the show was delayed twice and even noted that the venue had stated that the concert would happen “rain or shine” prior to its cancellation.

On social media, videos of guests standing in water in front of the barricade while a staff worker kicked a squirrel off the stage have gone viral. The footage also showed the animal attempt to jump onto the stage in order to survive the flood.

Following the event, Halsey wrote an apology to fans on Twitter and criticised the venue. They also noted that the concert would be rescheduled at a different location.

“Maryland I don’t even know what to say,” they wrote. “If you missed my live, I’ll post something soon explaining what happened. But right now I’m heartbroken and panicked and I just want to know when/that you all get home safely. I love you guys more than anything.”

“I promise I wanted to more than anything,” they continued.  “But I couldn’t because it would have been SO unsafe if I went out there and people rushed the stage during or after the storm. A lot of things were out of my control tonight but I promise everything I COULD choose, I chose your safety. I really want to add that I am beyond disappointed with the way the venue handled everything tonight and my rescheduled date will be happening somewhere else. I hear you guys loud and clear I promise.”

The Independent has contacted Kaida and Merriweather Post Pavilion for comment.