What Went Wrong at Hard's Day of the Dead?

By Tessa Stuart Thu., Nov. 15 2012 at 4:00 AM

Categories: EDM

Timothy Norris

Upon entering the Hard Day of the Dead grounds, I was greeted with a mob of at least a thousand people who had no idea how things were being run. Not a line, a mob. We waited in this mob for over an hour and 45 minutes with no security, no way out, no restrooms, no clue as to how people were being let in, and no assurance we'd even make it inside. Eventually we learned, as relayed to us from people sitting on the shoulders of others, that the mob was cut off before the entrance and security was letting in small groups of people as they saw fit. As each wave was let in, people rushed forward, crushing dozens against the metal barriers. This situation was allowed to go on for far too long and became dangerous for everyone.

Meanwhile, Richards' apology has racked up over 600 Facebook responses, many of them irate:

Armenda Saba
Dude my friend was handicapped and we were forced to help him over all of the fences we had to jump... Pretty ridiculous.

Michael Platt
I was on crutches and had a barricade dropped on my bad leg, was truly ridiculous how you guys had this organized.

Alaa Bahour
You guys fuckjng suck no organization at all my girlfriend got so closterfobic in your line to get in that she passed out and we couldn't go in.

Rachel Rickards
WE WANT REFUNDS!!!!!!

René Loker
No excuse. You should have been prepared for the mass of people. Your security was a joke and I was sincerely afraid for my safety waiting in that mob. I witnessed a fight break out right next to me and many people could have been seriously injured. Although I had an amazing time once we got in, this will definitely be my first and LAST Hard event.

Blythe Weinstein
please communicate with the people waiting. i was in a crowd (i am very short and couldn't see anything over anybody and feeling very unsafe) and the swat team came running through, breaking my grip from my friends hand. the crowd started rushing through after the swat team knocking everyone else out of their way. meanwhile everyone around is screaming, "whats going on?""let us in" creating an unruly crowd. pleople then started pushing, making my friend, who has never been to an event like this, very uncomfortable.

Erika Michelle
I literally, as a small female, was fearing for my life. I thought I was going to get trampled. I shouldn't have the feel like that. Never again.

Stephen Miller
Forget that you made people miss their favorite djs. You put thousands of people at risk, even saw a fight break out on top of people puking all the while being shoulder to shoulder with dozens of others. Not chill Gary.

We reached out to Richards through his publicist, who forwarded us a statement just like the one posted to Facebook, though it acknowledged a "delayed flow of entry which spanned about an hour and a half." It reiterated that the event was their "most successful" yet.

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jamie.gunmanent

I have worked at many previous insomniac events and NOBODY knows how to stay in a line and follow simple commands of wait in line so it can move smoother. They assume if they push their way tot he front creating irritable people whom they are knocking over and rudely pushing aside because they are selfish ignorant kids who are on too many drugs and want to party even harder. NEWS FLASH, the crowd is what causes the problem. Same thing happened at Electric Daisy Carnival and its the same groups of shirtless guys with sunglasses on whos parents bought them their tickets. What this does? The people that purchased their tickets and are patiently waiting in line to get in, get screwed over in the long run. There have been so many times where i have experienced the same thing at every electronic dance music festival over the past 4 years. YOU GUYS ARE WHAT SCREW IT UP, you push and try to get to the front of everything because you are selfish and think you are better than, creating animosity and irritability thru the crowd.

SO THANK YOU TO THOSE THAT SCREW UP THESE EVENTS.. YOU ARE THE REASON WHY I DO NOT VJ FOR INSOMNIAC EVENTS ANYMORE!!!

QueerRant

Looks like they is high on drugs to me.

So where's my dealer?

djmachineart

If customers have to pay for the VIP just to get in that is ridiculous. Most people can't afford VIP access and should not have to purchase it just to see their favorite deejays. I haven't been to a rave in a while due to issues like this and it looks like people in the crowd are just crushed without any space to dance. A rave is meant to have fun and dance not stare at the deejays like zombies.

ILVJKBTS

I did go to HARD Day of The Dead. I've been to a few EDM events. 3 EDC , 1 HARD Summer, 1 HARD Presents and now this one. I have to mention that I am twice the age of most of the attendees at these events. I run and this is the music I listen to when I'm running at home or in a race. With that being said. This event was going to be my last one that I would be attending. My ultimate favorite, Jack Beats, were playing, I've seen them 3X prior, and Crookers whom I've never seen before. This was a great way to end it. Well, I, like many many others, was stuck in that mob of a line. We arrived early , got great parking, took the metro and arrived to the event with plenty of enough time to be there for Jack Beats. So we thought. Ended up being in the entrance herd of people for the ENTIRE Jack Beats set. Actually we were there before the set started and still there until after it ended. And still we were there. So disappointed beyond explanation. I would have to agree with the person that said if you want a quick no problems entrance then VIP is the way to go. As for myself, VIP is the only way I would ever go again. A lot of people drive quite some distance to come to these events. Gas, lodging, food, tickets. It is really a big event for a lot of people and for issues like this to happen. Shouldn't even be an issue. Should be on the "Top Priorities" list. This is the type of thing that gives these events a bad name. I'm serious. You get pissed off people standing at the entrance with no explanation and then some bone heads will get rowdy and try to push and shove causing chaos. The police have to be called in with there riot gear and canisters of tear gas and then who gets looked at bad. First, the attendees look like maniacs to the media and the rest of the world and then the event itself is made to look like some sort of melting pot of psychoness. When in fact they really are far from that. Get organized with the entry. That's it. Please get it organized and don't take advantage of the attendees. We pay for this! Thank you~

John Calderon

This has always been a problem with Gary Richards' events--at least at their version of massives (what a mess HARD Halloween at the Shrine was a couple years back), I have noticed they do well with the smaller shows like HARD presents..., or with a show like Holy Ship--yet I still can't understand how they can't get this crowd control thing down

Berto Magas

ya they have a crappy entrance for general tickets, if u want a quick no problems entrance I think VIP would be the way to go.

Cisco R Ocks

The only thing lingering in the air that night was herb smoke and dust from the fields.

LA Weekly

"The afterthought was still lingering in the air." Someone has a gift for the poetic!

Alex Starski

This should have been written last week when the afterthought was still lingering in the air.

Cisco R Ocks

Yes, for a while there was a delay getting in because of some kids getting a little rowdy at the entrance which disrupted the flow. It took maybe an hour to get in, and yes being bunched in with hundreds of people was a bit uncomfortable. I witnessed a lot of people taking the time get to know each other while others pushed their way to the front. Was the front was reached (id check and pass swipe), it was nothing but a great time. All the sets that I caught were good, the beer garden wasn't packed aka no long lines, and lots of T & A. It was a great time, Live Nation needs to work on a better entrance plan, and Gary/Destructo made a lit of people happy.

John Calderon

This is why HARD Summer was the straw that broke the camel's back for me for their land-based events--at least Holy Ship was f'ckn epic!!!

Nick Capertina

What the fuck happened at HARD Day of The Dead INDEED! >=|

Nick Capertina

HARD Day of the Dead made me realize how much I take for granted at Insomniac Events parties, like multiple Water Refill Stations with space for more than 1 person at a time at a fucking water fountain, or lines that don't keep me crammed in like a jew in a train car on the way to Auschwitz, and terrain that I'm not fucking tripping in every step of the way because of potholes and unkept ground. We stood in line for 2 fucking hours just see that we had to go through another fucking line, and then when we went to guest services to get 2 maps, one of me and one for my girlfriend, the lady said we could only have 1 per party. I spent money to drive out of town to go to HARD, I spent money on hotel to go to HARD, food and water and gas and my ticket as well, I got to party for literally 4 hours because of a 2 hour cluster fuck of a line. This years HARD Haunted was my first and LAST HARD event, ever. Fuck HARD and everything they stand for. Insomniac all day every day!