No wheelchair for me, thank you

The other day I read someone’s live journal account of the Wiltern Dir en Grey concert. She said that, because of the packed crowd and the sweltering heat, a bunch of people fainted and there were at least eight or nine wheelchairs carting fans out.

Okay, now, I’m not flying cross country to see Hyde only to faint and miss the performance! And I’m sure none of our Mesmerized readers who are attending his concerts want to faint either. We have to do something to prevent this, people! Every one of us must come out of these concerts with a memory of Hyde not an emergency room doctor.

So, I did a little research. According to this guy, when seven or more people are squished into a square meter the crowd becomes a fluid mass and individual control is lost. The heat and pressure of the bodies can cause some to faint (or worse--almost all crowd deaths are from “compressive asphyxia” due to the domino effect of people leaning against each other). The main reason this happens, he says, is because there’s lack of communication from the front to the back of the audience. Fans in the back have freerer movement and don't realize that those up front are being crushed.

How to keep the above from happening? Well, here’s a summary of what I found from a number of different sources. Print it out, memorize it, and let’s all enjoy ourselves!

1. Before the concert eat light but often and drink lots of water. This helps keep your stamina up and reduces the chances of fainting.
2. Dress in something lightweight or at least in layers (so you can remove clothing when it gets hot).
3. Wear well-fitted shoes. Crowd surges have been known to lift people right out of them if they're loose.
4. Avoid wearing things like long jewelry, flowing scarves and dangly purses. They can easily get tangled and cause problems.
5. When the doors open don’t run like a crazed maniac to the stage. You won’t be able to be up front if you break your leg on the way.
6. Once inside note where the exits are and make sure they’re not blocked (if so, tell the venue’s staff).
7. Keep a little bit of distance between yourself and others, at least, enough so everyone can breathe.
8. If someone near you is bugging the heck out of you, don’t cause a fight. Move away from them and/or call security.

If there is an emergency crowd situation

1. Keep calm. Do NOT panic.
2. Try and maintain your balance so you don’t fall (if you do fall, get up as quickly as possible, and if you can’t get up, curl in a ball and cover your head).
3. Don’t pick up any items you might drop. You want to stay upright at all times.
4. If things get unbearable, move toward an outer edge, taking the path of least resistance. There are usually lulls in any crowd push. Wait for one then move to an open space. A MTV writer says these spaces are often located in a diagonal fashion. So, make like an accordion and zigzag your way out.
5. Usually you should move with the crowd, especially if you’re in the middle of a wave, but in the rare case of a fire the best direction might be toward a lesser used exit.