As Twittered reports of injuries during Rage Against the Machine’s set poured in, an incident occurring outside the event resulted in a brief stampede of potential Lolla attendees before police on horseback restored order.
As was the case last night during Radiohead, a few hundred people sat on the curb and park grounds across the street from Lollapalooza along Columbus Drive, which is closed each evening an hour or so prior to the end of the event. At some point, a security gate was opened, which had been used all weekend as an access area to the media tents. Whether they assumed that Perry Farrell and Co. were experiencing a moment of generosity or merely saw an opportunity, at least 100 people stormed in through the security gate, overwhelming the event staff.
Chicago Police Department ATVs and officers on horseback blocked off the access point, and directed people back across the street, but not before a police helicopter briefly showed up with a follow spot. Those who had managed to sneak in, remained, and the gate was closed again. Despite the breach, the aftermath was peaceful with no confrontations between police and thwarted Rage-watchers.
Photos: Scott Smith
I WAS RIGHT THERE, We stomed that fuckin shit and theSecurity couldn’t do shit.
It was insirational and amazing.
Sounds interesting. People will sneak in things this large and this expensive. Perry Ferral will make enough money on this. Once everything is already overpriced and sold just let the people in. I mean they will end up buying overpriced beer while they are there.
How sad that trespassing is now deemed “insirational [sic] and amazing”
Regardless of cost (has anyone bought a concert ticket recently - e.g. MBV was $50 a ticket face - multiply that by 3 and you have the cost of three days at lollapalooza), seems like people are just cheap.
But anyway, don’t you think that there are other causes that could be found that fall within the category of “inspirational and amazing?”.
It wasn’t a matter of cost asshat, the show was sold out.
TREPAZZING IS AGAINZT ZE LAW. AND I LOVEZ ZE LAW.
Ihatemessengerbags: Not agreeing with the semi-literate commenter that “WAS RIGHT THERE”, but I don’t understand how entering a public park can be trespassing.
Not to be too exacting, but I assume that right about the point where the City of Chicago Parks and Recreation Board signed an aggreement with Lollapalooza and subsequently FENCED OFF THE PARK, it was no longer “public” and became, temporarily “private” to legal ticketholders. Therefore, sir, it could be considered trespassing.
What’s inspiring? The concert was sold out, Rage Against the Machine was playing, so like the thousands of brainlessly incensed fans inside who actually paid, you “fought back”. You took the power from the institution. Haw Haw. Congratulations. I paid 80 dollars to trudge through that black-tee mire all day and almost got my head kicked off when I decided to check out Rage from hundreds of yards back. The fans were too moronic to realize they shouldn’t be trampling other fans, and I hope whoever punched a cop (rumored) got maced. I don’t love cops unquestioningly, but you ought to resist for a reason other than 8 beers and “Bulls on Parade”. After the concert, the fans, paid or not, congregated outside of my hotel and brayed for about two hours before their empty militance leveled out and they ordered pizza. Inspirational. Moves my goddamn heart.