Bieber fever cancelled in Sunrise chaos
UPDATED: Sunrise's Justin Bieber concert is cancelled amid chaotic scenes. Producers says too many children were unattended, while police sent the Riot Squad to Martin Place.
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Police cancelled the Sunrise Justin Bieber concert this morning after children were hurt in the crush at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney.
Amid criticism of crowd control issues, there were reportedly 4000 in attendance at 2am awaiting the arrival of the Canadian teen pop sensation. Many of them had slept there overnight for Bieber’s only Australian gig, which had been due to be held at 7.40am. Problems continued over the following hours, with crowd surges crushing and trampling some fans.
At least 10 girls fainted, with paramedics forced to rescue them from the hysterical mass, which reportedly broke barriers.
“We pulled out more than 100 teens suffering distress at the front of the stage,” a police spokesman said.
From 5am Sunrise was telling viewers the area was full and they should stay home and watch Justin Bieber on the TV.
Producer Adam Boland was supervising the scene last night and arrived early to take control of the broadcast.
After the concert was cancelled Twitter lit up with fans asking WTF? and when Sunrise showed the crowd of fans refusing to disperse they were all giving Seven the finger when the cameras panned the scene. Hosts Kochie and Mel returned to Brekky Central saying they supported the police action.
“It’s all chaos… we’re not sure what’s happening,” said Mel Doyle just after 6am
After the event was cancelled, thousands made their way via city streets to the Martin Place studios where Bieber sang one number indoors after 8am, separated by glass before the screaming throng.
Sunrise had originally made plans for the concert to be staged at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in response to the anticipated numbers.
But parents are angry over the management of the original staging.
Colleen McMenamin, who took her daughters to the concert, said crowd control was “non-existent” and Channel Seven “owes the public an explanation”.
“People were pouring into the forecourt yet it was at least and hour before any announcements were made,” she said.
“A notice was then put up on the stage screen saying that the police had called off the show.
“At this point there were a few police moving through the crowd saying that the show had been cancelled.”
Bieber, whose popularity has surged via Twitter, tweeted that “I want to make this clear… I don’t cancel… I woke up this morning to the police canceling the show for safety reasons.”
“I love my fans….and I am just as disappointed as everyone else with the news from this morning. I want to sing for my fans.”
Samarah Bayrout, 16, said, ‘We waited there all night. They promised us three songs but he only sang one [at the studio].’’
‘‘Some of his fans came all the way from Perth and Adelaide … I wouldn’t do it again. We’ve only got to see him through the window. We could have seen more on television.’’
#letjustinsing quickly became the #1 trending topic on Twitter worldwide.
Inspector Millevoi, the NSW Ambulance commander outside the Channel Seven studios at Martin Place this morning, said eight children were treated by paramedics.
Two children were brought to Sydney hospital. One teen fractured her knees and another hit her head and “was knocked out for a while”, Inspector Millevoi said.
The other children were treated for hyperventilation, he said.
The Sunrise website states: “As of 4.30am, Monday 26 April, the police shut the gates to the area and said that due to safety concerns no more fans would be permitted into the area.
“Around 5.20am, with the forecourt area at full capacity and fans still arriving, the police ordered Sunrise to cancel the performance.” Including its previous comments, the Bieber topic already has over 3,700 comments.
David Koch said the concert was cancelled after some unattended teenagers would not follow police instructions.
Sunrise weather presenter Grant Denyer said: “We knew it would be popular, we were expecting a couple of thousand, we were expecting this to be the biggest concert we ever had.
“But we just couldn’t have foreseen this scale and Sunrise hired the best security you could imagine, we hired the professionals who look after U2, Coldplay, Pink, the big acts, and even they weren’t equipped and just couldn’t handle the Bieber fever.”
After he sang David Koch told Bieber he was a great role model for girls, being “good at your school work you’re just terrific.”
Bieber has promised to return to Australia.
UPDATED: Producer Adam Boland says about 5000 were expected for the concert.
“The problem was, as well as the numbers, the number of young girls without their parents. We were urging these girls to move back, and there was plenty of open space, and the girls simply refused,” he said.
“At one stage we asked any parents to come in and help … and we had [emcee] Mike Goldman trying to get this crowd back into this space, but they just wouldn’t move … so the police inspector and myself decided to pull the plug.
Seven had employed an event management company that has looked after the likes of U2, Pink and the Pussycat Dolls to manage security and crowds. But Boland admits, they under-estimated “the Bieber fever”, which he said was a “bizarre phenomenon”.
“Once the concert got cancelled we thought that’s it, no more,” he said.
Sunrise agreed with police to Bieber performing one song at Martin Place studios.
“But we talked to his people and the police and … the police said if we delay [the performance] till after 8am then they will surround the building,” he said.
Police sent more officers down to the studios, including the Riot Squad.
Boland said he had no regrets in pulling the pin.
“I think I’m OK with that [apologising] but I think parents would [have wanted an apology] if their [children] had been hurt. We here at Seven are totally supportive of the police action, we are not going to argue with police,” he said.
“We understand the frustration of some the kids. A lot left more satisfied [after the Martin Place performance] but ultimately the safety of them must come first.”
Source: Daily Telegraph, The Age, Mediaweek, Sydney Morning Herald.
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56 Responses
Good coverage on the story, Seven! A few things missing though:
Where’s the protests, and the cars being set alight? And why didn’t one of the girls pour hot McCafe coffee over the weather guy’s nuts?
PS. I think I have another reason why the live perfomance was cancelled, maybe Bieber wanted to be on Nine’s Today Show at the last minute!
Again, good breaking news Seven, but not enough protest scenes and stuff. Let’s say if I were on Sunrise yesterday, I’d still have poured hot scalding McCafe coffee over the weather guy’s ‘Jatz Crackers’ and left before things got really ugly!
that actually is quite a believable theory Mason, especially considering all the publicity Sunrise has got out of this from all channels
I laughed at 9 news trying to make ch7 look bad by showing people complaining which of course any channel would do. But Damien Ryan said when Justin played in the studio the crowd couldn’t hear outside but they had it so the crowd could hear because after his performance he told his fans they could go home now. I also laughed at a mother when she said she hate Sunshine and it was there fault. At least get the name of the show right.
Im not in his age bracket but he came across as a nice boy who is level headed. He also seems a pretty good dancer and singer. But what else could 7 do. They had a stage made up they had barriers there and top notch security but the girls wouldn’t move back. Anyway girls he is coming out to perform properly this year so you can stop crying and go see him there.
I like Justin Bieber and think hes really cutee! but i dont think sunrise shouldve made his appearance on a public holiday ofcourse its going to be mass hysteria. Though didnt think there would be so much bieber fans.
I blame the teens, they should relax and listen to the instructions which were given to them and seriously……arriving at 1 am to camp out wow i wouldnt do that. Their all psychos and should calm down…..justin should come back nxt yr and do concerts. =]
Okay, let me sum this all up. Sunrise screwed up for not doing enough research and for not anticipating such a crowd. Parents should have been there for the safety of these kids (remember, they are minors), and the kids are to blame for not following instruction.
So there you have it – everyone screwed up. Bieber has now left the country, and the world goes back to normal tomorrow. Now lets move on and talk about real TV news shall we?
So David, what’s been happening? Guess today was a slow day in TV land, hey.
The bloody youth in this country are crazy.
Who?
@Mason Hell-Cat
Interesting though there Mason. Never thought of it like that. Not a bad theory, we all love a good conspiracy… but I wouldn’t put it past Adam Boland.
Food for thought ey?
As The Age reports, Bieber’s manager was in serious hot water for exactly this same sort of publicity stunt in the US last year. He was actually taken into custody by police over this and charged with reckless endangerment and criminal nuisance. He could go to jail over it.
Bieber’s manager was quoted by Kochie as saying Australian fans are “hardcore”. In other words, not concerned at all. Rather, well pleased.
This whole this was a dangerous stunt, and the police did not look happy about it at all, especially at stunts like bringing Bieber to the window to do his “global peace sign” marketing tool thing and consequently nearly causing a stampede. I wonder if Seven will get a bill from the NSW Police?
Bieber himself acts and talks like a pre-programmed robot child. His glances off-camera before answering questions were very, very telling.
Biebermania? I think not. Everyone knows a wave of teen lust for Kochie has been building for months across the nation. This tsunami of hysteria is surely just the tip of the iceberg. Too bad they can’t sell locks of his hair.
For those asking where the parents of these teens were – if I was a 16 year old planning to attend a televised outdoor concert with my friends, the last thing I would want would be my parents there with me. Sunrise obviously couldn’t control a crowd of 4000 teens, let alone a crowd where every teen had a parent present. The fact that it was a holiday today wouldn’t have helped either. I’ve been to Sunrise concerts before, as well as their Melbourne grand final special which drew a big crowd, and they’re usually well organized but I think they should probably have been more prepared considering Bieber isn’t touring. This was his Only Australian performance and thus they should probably have run a contest (perhaps kids proving they are Bieber’s biggest fan?) and run a smaller concert for the winners, or held it in a park or larger venue on a non-holiday. Sunrise aren’t generally on the pulse of what’s popular with people younger than their demographic though, which probably had something to do with it.
It sounds like it was badly handled all round – I have never heard of the kid and he probably will be irrelevant in a few years. Mind you, is 7 a morning news show or a concert venue? People who work near their studio hate the noise caused by thier concerts. Having free concerts like this that start early in the morning was always going to mean kids in the city without parents. I also feel for the police who probably had better things to do with thier time. 7 are probably going to make the most of this though.
Pfft…that was nothing.
You should have seen it when Culture Club hit Rundle Mall in Adelaide.
It was Boy Gerge Madness!!! 😀
This is my take on this massive publicity stunt.
I began my morning watching ‘Today’ (don’t hold that against me) and they were showing shots of the crowds at the Quay and the building excitement. Then an interview with Justin. So during that, I flicked to ‘Sunrise’ and heard the news that his concert would be moved. Where to? A place where ‘Today’, and every other media source could also share in some footage and audio, and also cash in on the publicity? Oh no. Channel 7 decided to move him to their studios where no one but Channel 7 could get footage (which has no doubt been bought and shown on every news channel tonight). Channel 7 will then get more publicity out of it all tomorrow morning as they do a recap.
This wasn’t a “didn’t channel 7 realise how big this would get” or a “where were the parents” argument. This was a very carefully orchestrated publicity stunt. 7 don’t care the kids didn’t get to see a free concert. They got the best ratings all year!
what a bunch of losers. I can’t believe the whingeing of the people who attended – flying from Perth? Seriously? Sleeping on the street the night before? Really?! Get a life!
There’s no way they had enough adult supervision, that’s obvious. If they are not going to listen to the police, why would they listen to someone else’s mum or dad? That’s just silly. Parents who didn’t go, should have made sure, one of their friends parents did go, and if they didn’t, kept them at home.
Parents can’t throw all the blame on Sunrise, everyone can take some blame here.
Checking online reports and the TV News I don’t see how Seven could not have seen this coming, he (sorry already forgot his name) has had several appearances and concerts cancelled in the past for unruly crowds and dangerous situations, his manager was even charged just a few days ago over one incident.
IMO what Sunrise should have done was had a competition, maybe have a closed venue where a limited number of fans could see the concert via invitation only?
TT/ACA and 7PM will be interesting tonight to see what angle each covers.
I just don’t understand this Bieber fever… it’s like Leo Mania all over again!
Never even heard of the guy. Maybe cos I don’t watch Sunrise, instead I choose the watch ABC2 news breakfast.
Seemed rather poorly managed – and what where the girls doing out at that time of night anyway?
All I can say is I hope they enjoyed the latest Leif Garrett/Shaun Cassidy/Donny Osmond/Jeremy Jordan impersonator – Bieber can fill the void until the next teen idol enters the fray!!
Its a shame people as woeful as this are famous and receive accolades for their lack of talent. grow up and listen to some real music instead of this mainstream garbage that is made for non-intellectual brain dead nothings
And there are currently 3,675 comments on this on the Sunrise website. Unbelievable!
There needs to be a bit of perspective here, and clearly Ch 7 has lost all sense of what a news item is and what a breakfast news program could be. Sunrise are damned lucky no one was seriously hurt – all in their quest to market to screaming tweenagers.
One of these days,Sunrise will present a proper news story, and the gasps of disbelief will be as loud as the screams of the girls in Martin Plaza…
As a parent with a child at the “supposed concert” I take great offense at the blame it on “where were the parents?” Standing amid this crowd were plenty of parents, responsible and well supplied with first aid water etc. Of course the kids were overexcited its commonsense.I think the corporate money grubbing commercial networks are again at fault. If they are so professional and well researched, why didn’t they organise this event better. After all, they are pretty happy shoving a camera in front of some young teen and splaying it across their network in a bid to maintain their ratings. If Kochie and Mel were that serious about young people why did they continue to encourage crowd hysteria with sweeping pans of the kids. As for that Grant Denyer ,someone needs to remind him that he isn’t 12 years old and instead of prancing in front of a window perhaps he should be researching “concert goers re history stories properly’. Guess the dollar always wins, good on ‘Frontline’ and Rob Sitch for exposing the real truth behind the money grabbing misers who employ the likes of these moronic people. The exploitation of people’s misery is fundamental to the growth of Sunrise and like current affairs shows.
Leanne looking at the number of kids in attendance, vs the number of parents… did you feel they were adequately supervised?
who the heck is Justin Bieber ?
As someone who works in the industry, and also organises events for tweens and teens – this has been brewing for days.
The constant relocation of the event by Seven, seems to indicate they were always one step behind anticipating the event size and then to witness his international tour of the past week and see other cities fan hysteria and not anticipate that with a public holiday, thousands were going to turn out was pretty poor by Seven,
Similiar hysteria in the US happened last year with Bieber events and his management was actually charged with reckless endangement. Wonder if anything similar exists here and could Seven be liable?