Chaos At Kenny Chesney Concert: 37 People Taken To Hospital, Others Arrested, 57 Emergency Vehicles Requested
Last night in Pittsburgh, Kenny Chesney put on another big concert, and everyone probably thought it would be a country music good time. Unfortunately, it turned out to be much more than that as it evolved from fun to complete and total chaos. More than three dozen people ended up being taken to hospitals, several others were arrested, and 57 emergency medical transport vehicles ended up being called by just 9 p.m.
Not only did the trouble happen inside Heinz Field, but there were even more problems happening outside in the parking lot.
7 arrested, 37 sent to hospitals at Kenny Chesney concert https://t.co/pFY1Itvuoe via @TribLIVE
— Travis Sawchik (@Sawchik_Trib) July 3, 2016
Fox News originally reported that 25 people were taken to nearby hospitals throughout the night at the Kenny Chesney concert, but that number has elevated as Sunday has gone on. Fifty-seven emergency medical transport vehicles had been called out by 9 p.m. and they reported mainly intoxication and intoxication-related injuries.
A number of arrests also took place at the concert and they were for a number of reasons including ticket robbery, simple assault, trespassing, and public intoxication. It’s said that there were “several dozen” people who were cited for underage drinking.
One officer did injure his thumb while attempting to break up a fight outside of Heinz Field.
@kennychesney it’s to the point that when you google kenny chesney in Pittsburgh “garbage” comes up immediately after.????
— your friend sonny (@sonnysphone) July 3, 2016
As reported by the Post-Gazette, the tailgating outside of Heinz Field is what really got things started off in a bad way. It all began at 1 p.m. when the parking lot opened up and quickly filled with folding tables, snacks, people, and lots of alcohol.
Once a lot of those tailgaters headed inside the stadium at 7 p.m., they ended up just leaving everything behind. All of their trash and garbage and beer bottles and tables were just left for the city clean-up crews to take care of the next day.
Kenny Chesney Vs Alice in Chains with Marilyn Manson in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/83taXpiLeT
— Jacob (@Gray_J73) July 3, 2016
Even with all of the issues that took place at the Kenny Chesney concert on Saturday night, Pittsburgh officials are said to be “very pleased” with how things went. The Post-Gazette reported that officials are happy with how things were handled and that both workers and visitors deserved a lot of congratulations.
Guy Cost, chief operations officer for Pittsburgh, commended everyone for their hard work on Saturday night.
“There was superb inter-agency cooperation. Everyone worked very well together. We’re very pleased.”
Once the final numbers were figured out, 99 people were seen by EMS personnel with 37 of them requiring transport to a medical facility or hospital. Along with the intoxication issues, dehydration did get the best of a lot of people.
None of those seen or transported were said to be in serious condition.
That year, 73 people ended up being arrested and those who attended the concert left behind 30 tons of trash for the city to clean up. It seems like the Pittsburgh country music-goers have improved somewhat and are getting better.
Even though Pittsburgh city officials say they were “very pleased” with the outcome of the Kenny Chesney concert on Saturday night, it’s hard to believe. With more than three dozen people being taken to the hospital, numerous arrests, and trash thrown around as far as the eye can see, that’s not something to be overly pleased about. None the less, Chesney had another concert that some consider an abomination while others consider a success.
[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
