More than 100 people were hospitalized, mostly for drinking too much, in Connecticut on Friday night following Hot 93.7's Hot Jam concert, headlined by Chance the Rapper.
Hartford Deputy Chief Brian Foley told the Hartford Courant that the crowd was largely comprised of people in their late teens and early 20s, and that tailgating, partying and excessive alcohol consumption was “extremely prevalent.” In addition to Chance, the lineup included Kyle, PnB Rock, and ANoyd.
Foley added that the majority of those hospitalized were underage attendees experiencing “severe intoxication.” Police made around 50 underage drinking referrals, and most of those charged were issued a court summons.
He also posted a couple of videos on Twitter warning parents about the behavior of their rogue teens. The teens, at least in this footage, appear to be milling about trying to look good, as teens do:
Foley also told Buzzfeed that “drug use [was] a concern, but not as prevalent, and that “heat also played a role — in the 90's, hot cars in hot parking lots, no shade.”
Officials said around 21,000 people attended the event at Xfinity Theatre, and that it was patrolled by a special Department of Transportation-sponsored police detail focused on underage drinking enforcement, NBC Connecticut reports.
Usually around 60 people are transported for alcohol and drug use at any given show in the city, but Friday saw the “constant cycling of transports,” Hartford Fire Capt. Raul Ortiz told the Courant. So strained were emergency responders that Hartford’s ambulance provider even had to call in reinforcements from elsewhere.
“When it’s at this level, you’re tapping into all your resources in the area,” he said.
Everyone who didn’t get hospitalized or ticketed seemed to have a great time.
Police expect tonight’s Lady Antebellum show to be “much lighter and calmer.” Hmmm.
DISCUSSION
Transporting 100 ETOH patients would be a nightmare, logistically. Even if you put two per ambulance, that’s 50 separate runs. Factoring in the heat, a lot of them probably needed IV hydration, which means you need a medic and not “just” an EMT (note: I’m an EMT, don’t @ me. But at least in my state, we can’t start IVs). So, shout out to all the EMS workers who handled this.
That being said: we don’t mind. Please call us if you get shitfaced in mid-summer weather and you need help. We’d much rather take care of you, than see your face in the obits.