Dangerous concerts create dangerous outcomes

Noah Goulbourne, Staff Writer

Thousands of fans attend the famous Lollapalooza concert in Chicago.
(Credit: Garvey Goulbourne)

Although concerts allow you to sing your lungs out, make new friends and catch your favorite artist in live action, they can also be extremely dangerous. Mass crowds and mosh pits pose a big threat to fans and can create an extremely negative environment. All fans attending future concerts should be at least 18. 

Teenagers shouldn’t be able to attend concerts unless accompanied by a parent or the concert is completely harmless. Adults are more responsible and can make their own choices. Adults are more likely to do research about the event and its surrounding environment. For example, what kind of fanbase does the artist have, are they peaceful, or crazy? Another reason for the age restriction would be mosh pits. These pits of craziness occur at the peak of concerts or festivals. For example, if the bass is about to drop on a song, fans will create a giant circle, this circle will then be filled with people shoving and jumping. This can cause extreme hazards and only adults should participate.  

Crowd control has been a huge problem at recent music festivals. Travis Scott’s Astroworld was a perfect example. The Houston festival hosted over 50,000 people, and any age was allowed to attend. Due to the enormous crowd and poor security hundreds of people were injured and eight people passed away. CNN  states, “at least eight people are dead and many others were injured after a crowd surged forward as rapper Travis Scott was on stage at the Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday night, officials said.”  The youngest to pass away was a freshman in High School at the age of 14. No child should attend a concert like this. Although that kind of environment isn’t meant for any age, it is best that kids stay far from it. Being 18+ gives you responsibility and accountability for your actions. If a child is being trampled or even stuck in a mosh pit, their parents won’t be able to help. 

In the future, there should be mandatory forms that each fan attending should sign. This would make things more efficient and keep anyone younger than 18 out of concerts. Senior Joshua Eberhardt says, “Making fans sign forms will be very beneficial for future concerts.” “I believe concerts should be 18+ because there are too many lurking variables that can harm them like unintended injuries.” Although young concert goers may be frustrated, I truly believe this is the safest way going forward.