Quick links: Full Health & Safety Research Report, @LoonaMidwaySF Twitter, The Midway, Sean Healy Presents, My Music Taste

My name is Arbory, and I am a concert enthusiast who worked in the music industry doing social media/website management and marketing. I’ve been lucky enough to visit venues across the US, but on August 4th I had an extremely unfortunate and scary experience at The Midway’s LOONA concert unlike any show I’ve ever attended. Security was bare-bones with one-second bag checks and guards that allowed banned items ranging from chairs to weapons inside the venue. The crowd inside the venue seemed to far exceed the number on the maximum occupancy signs. The heat was unlike any other concert I’ve ever experienced-- visible steam hung in the air from body heat and condensation dripped from the ceiling onto the crowd and stage. Hundreds of people fell ill with heat sickness and dozens had to leave the show floor entirely due to the temperature and lack of ventilation. By the end of the night one performer, Jinsoul, burst into tears over the adverse venue conditions and tech issues. Hyunjin, who nearly passed out onstage, confessed to the crowd that while she tried her best to put on a good show, she felt like she was going to die.

I fainted at The Midway due to heat exhaustion and left after just 9 songs. I  sat in my Lyft exhausted, heartbroken, and confused as to how so many things could go wrong in one venue, and decided to share my story on twitter. My story reached thousands of fans, hundreds who were at the show and shared similar experiences. I decided to write up a quick google form and see how widespread the issues I faced that night actually were. The testimony I received shocked me, angered me, and brought me to tears.

Here is a small example of what we uncovered from our 270 survey participants:

• 227 (84%) of survey participants had concerns about their safety on the night of the show.
• 260 (96%) of survey participants had concerns about the performers' safety on the night of the show.
• 161 (59.63%) of survey participants reported that they suffered symptoms related to heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
• 37 (13.7%) of survey participants reported that they had to leave the venue or show floor due to the heat.
• 174 (71.6%) of the 243 survey participants who went through bag check expressed they felt that the bag check was sparse, unthorough, and/or unsafe.
• One twitter user and 4 survey participants admitted that 3 pepper spray cans and 2 pocket knives were brought into the venue. One pocket knife was on a belt loop visible to security, the others were in bags that security ignored or neglected to fully check.
• CO2 levels on the show floor peaked at 3504.
• The Midway lists two different maximum capacities for the RiDE venue online: 1,500 and 1,700. An employee stated they would be willing to to book up to 2,000. However, the RiDE room has a Maximum Occupancy sign of 1,332.

With survey testimony, social media outreach, and research, I slowly put together the pieces of what happened at the Midway LOONA concert. I wrote a 35 page report that covers concerns such as heat and ventilation, maximum occupancy and fire hazards, security negligence, misinformation prior to the event, physical altercations between fans and security, and more. You can read it here.

Our goal for this petition is to hold The Midway accountable for their negligence and for negatively affecting the health and safety of both concert attendees and performers. We also call upon LOONA’s tour promoters, Sean Healy Presents and My Music Taste, to investigate the failures at The Midway, and to take their business elsewhere.

Our demands are as follows:

1. We demand transparency from The Midway in regards to the actual capacity for the RiDE room and how many tickets were sold for the LOONA concert. In the case that the venue was overbooked, we demand information from Sean Healy Presents and My Music Taste as to whether or not they were aware of the actual mass occupancy of the venue they booked, and if they were aware that the venue was over-capacity.
2. We demand an explanation from The Midway regarding the venue’s lack of air conditioning and ventilation. We demand accountability for the mass heat illness their negligence caused. We demand The Midway cease all large concert events in the RiDE room until they can safely accommodate their customers.
3. We demand The Midway answer for their security failures during the show, and we demand that My Music Taste and Sean Healy investigate these security failures. By neglecting bag checks, allowing weapons and banned items, and allowing people without tickets to enter the show, the Midway has proven that their negligence is a real and present threat to the safety of concert attendees and performers alike.
4. We demand The Midway apologize for the rudeness, incompetence, and in some cases outright bullying from their staff. Heatsick fans were purposefully neglected. Parents with lost kids weren’t assisted. Meet and Greet fans were nearly kicked out before receiving their benefits.
5. We demand more communication from all parties. We demand that The Midway apologize for their lack of communication and misinformation leading up to the show. We demand that MMT provide clearer instructions and expectations regarding the hi-touch experience to both fans and hosting venues in order to reduce confusion and unwanted physical touch-- Pushing, grabbing, and engaging in physical altercations with fans who are following instructions to the best of their ability is unacceptable.
6. We demand that My Music Taste and Sean Healy book different bay area venues for upcoming Kpop acts, including VERIVERY. The Midway is an unsuitable venue for large, complex performances and has proven to be incapable of accommodating popular music acts without negatively affecting the health and safety of both fans and performers. Continuing to book the Midway would be an act of negligence towards both the artists you work with and the fans who support them.

My fellow concert attendees and I understand that there are real people behind the computer screen, and that it is not easy to run a small music venue. We bring these concerns to light due to real threats to health and safety that, if not remedied, could lead to massive health and safety risks for anyone who attends similar events at the Midway.

Thank you for reading, signing, and sharing.