Throngs of spectators packed Santa Monica Beach Thursday night for the first of eight shows in the city’s popular Twilight Concert Series. The free performances have become some of the most popular seasonal spectacles in the Los Angeles area, but police and fire officials tell the Santa Monica Daily Press that they’re also a serious safety hazard.
Brooks says that police and fire officials were not equipped to handle the enormous crowd that attended Thursday’s performance—possibly the most well-attended show since the concert series began in the 1980s.
The concert began at 7:00 p.m., and by 7:11, the Santa Monica Police Department was already instructing visitors to “avoid the pier due to overcrowding.” After the show, headliner Khalid tweeted out an estimate that 60,000 people had attended the concert.
SMPD Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks tells the Daily Press that number is close to official estimates, and that allowing a crowd of that size to gather around the pier is “irresponsible.”
As the concerts have grown in popularity, some city officials have become concerned about their viability. This year, to address rising costs, the number of concerts was trimmed from 10 to eight, while concert organizers sought to rely more on private security, rather than higher-paid police officers.
In 2014, city officials estimated that the most popular concerts were drawing up to 30,000 spectators and the council approved a series of measures aimed at reigning in crowd size and reducing illegal activities like drinking and smoking on the beach.
But two years later, City Manager Rick Cole indicated in a blog post that the extension of the Expo Line and the opening of the Colorado Esplanade had contributed to record crowds at the summer concerts.
According to the Daily Press, Brooks has requested assistance from the Department of Homeland Security to create a plan for security at the concerts. She says that after attending attending Thursday’s concert, DHS experts “were not happy with what they saw.”
- Police Chief calls TCS opener “irresponsible” [Santa Monica Daily Press]
- Santa Monica’s massively popular Twilight Concert Series will return with fewer shows [Curbed LA]
- City commissioner wants to cancel Santa Monica’s popular Twilight Concert Series [Curbed LA]
Comments
The hippies that run the city believe everything should be "free" (paid for by the people who go to work every day).
The Pier Commission is appointed from the same lot of loons.
If their hand-picked PC half-million-dollar police chief dared speak against them, its way beyond "too popular".
We’ve already had enough terrorist-adjacent incidents in Santa Monica over the past few years.
By smartalex on 06.25.17 5:15pm
Mostly by the throngs of mentally ill homeless this city keeps inviting in…
By LeBasque on 06.26.17 6:18pm
We’re Santa Monica residents who used to attend the concert series on the pier every year, loved it, but stopped going two years ago because the crowds were already getting too big and unruly, with drinking, drugs, &+.
What used to be a great summer event is now out of control, and we stopped going. We live less than a mile away, and don’t really need to go anyway because the volume is so loud now that we can enjoy the music from our own home.
What we’ve noticed over the past few years though is a continuing increase in nuisances in nearby residential streets, including drunk and loud people keeping residents awake until the wee hours of the morning, people parking in residents’ driveways, petty theft and petty crime (tagging, car scraping, car break-ins, bike and other property theft, littering and loitering — our street is a mess the next day).
It’s only gone worse since the Expo line opened all the way to Santa Monica, which is really sad. And the SMPD is overwhelmed and understaffed to deal with all the issues.
It’s not reported much because the City of Santa Monica prioritizes visitor dollars and doesn’t want bad publicity, but yes, what used to be a fantastic concert series is a victim of its own success — and so are the local residents.
By Laure on 06.26.17 6:57pm
santa monica is a victim of its own success.
By Sandcastle Dreams on 06.27.17 8:32am
Who cares, LA is over crowded. LA freeways and road ways are over crowded. What do you expect? Deal with it. It is only going to get bigger and worse. Eventually, Santa Monica will end it. They used to have 4th of July Fireworks at the pier until some gang bang fight broke out. That ended that event. Same thing will happen to the concerts.
By Jimmy Wong on 06.27.17 8:59am
all they need to do is make a temporary enclosure, make it free entry for residents and charge everyone else.
By Sandcastle Dreams on 06.27.17 3:50pm
Please let’s try to keep the hysterics to a minimun. There WERE provably NOT 60,000 plus at the KHALID show. Look at the camera footage on this link; maybe there are 10-12 thousand on the sand. Combined with the pier that’s about 20,000 all in. It’s not the end of the world, just a concert.
http://www.rap-up.com/2017/06/23/khalid-covers-frank-ocean-lost/
The SMPD is really gilding the lilly and laying on the bullshit pretty darn thick. Not a surprise as they really don’t like having to deal with any large crowds they can’t fully control and clearly would love to shut this down. Their aggressive tactics and antics to drive people off the beach begin the second the music ends. It’s not pretty.
I’ve been going to this event for decades and have never seen any problems arise with the crowds or the "sand people". They are all happy and well mannered young people for the most part. Yes, more policing under the pier and around the crowd would help, but that’s all that’s needed.
By jubb3500 on 07.13.17 4:16pm