The ASEAN Music Festival, one of the side events during the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit hosted by the Philippines, was cancelled Tuesday night after the sheer number of people caused concertgoers to faint, while others threw chairs. A stampede almost broke out as well at the Ayala Triangle in Makati City.
Twitter user @htmleann posted a video showing the chaos in the venue, with the caption, “PSA: ASEAN Music Festival at the Ayala Triangle is seriously unsafe. If you have any plans of still going there, please don’t!!!”
PSA: ASEAN MUSIC FESTIVAL AT THE AYALA TRIANGLE IS SEROUSLY UNSAFE IF YOU HAVE ANY PLANS OF STILL GOING THERE PLEASE DON'T!!! pic.twitter.com/gCKCJV9bXU
— le/ann (@htmleann) November 14, 2017
He then posted photos of the crowd spilling over to Ayala Avenue, with authorities arm in arm to keep the throng at bay.
“I’m glad I got out of that hellhole. It was just the first act, but people are already trying to cause a stampede. People throwing chairs,” he tweeted.
I'M GLAD I GOT OUT OF THAT HELLHOLE. IT WAS JUST THE FIRST ACT BUT PEOPLE ARE ALREADY TRYING TO CAUSE A STAMPEDE. PEOPLE THROWING CHAIRS. pic.twitter.com/qcm35CYH2H
— le/ann (@htmleann) November 14, 2017
“This ASEAN Music Festival is a mess. So many people passed out and the show is cancelled,” wrote @dolcebangtan. The Twitter user added that it was “a whole mess. Disappointing and heartbreaking.”
@cedricazores shared their sentiments, and lamented that many Filipinos had no discipline.
Maraming Pinoy ang walang disiplina sa sarili. Nakakalungkot ang nangyare sa ayala triangle ngayon.
— Cedric Azores (@cedricazores) November 14, 2017
@deybiant shared a photo of the scene from one of the buildings across Ayala Triangle.
View from the office. Asean Music Festival. Hindi na makita ang Parokya Ni Edgar. Haha pic.twitter.com/uSMisYbpWN
— Lemuel Dave Narciso (@deybiant) November 14, 2017
Indie folk band The Ransom Collective were apologetic about what happened and thanked the fans who braved the free concert.
“So sorry about what’s happened at the #aseanmusicfestph we love you guys and thanks so much to those who tried to come out tonight,” they tweeted. “It was a tough decision but all the artists understand. We all just want to support #ASEAN2017. #aseanmusicfestph”
They added, “The organizers worked hard to make this event happen but they chose to prioritize the safety of everyone instead.”
Other artists who were scheduled to play or had already played at the event included Franco, Silent Sanctuary, Sandwich, Parokya Ni Edgar, and Ben&Ben.
There were also supposed to be acts from nine ASEAN countries.
The event was promoted by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
In a press release, the NCCA said, “With one shared identity and one vision, the free concert aims to highlight cross-cultural exchange in the form of music performances from ten participating countries all over the Southeast Asian region.”
