| Open letter to Vanderbilt Stadium management |
[Jul. 11th, 2011|11:39 am]
PopDaisy
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Dear Mr. Williams and/or Vanderbilt facilities management:
I’m writing today to ask you to reconsider policies for Vanderbilt Stadium as it applies to the health of general admission patrons, specifically in regard to the July 2 U2 concert and the heat/weather conditions.
- The very lengthy GA line was stretched out for a mile and quite often in the glaring sun. Surely with some advance planning there could’ve been a better setup with winding rows in a shadier area. Guests were waiting for hours on end in the blazing heat and I know for a fact some became ill because of that.
- Once we were allowed into the “inner circle” on the ground floor of the stadium, the heat conditions were health-threatening. Despite those conditions, security told us that beverage (even water) vendors were not allowed into the GA area to provide much needed relief. I will admit to having “snuck in” a paper fan – if I hadn’t, I could’ve been in even more serious condition.
- At one point, I was near heat exhaustion/stroke during the concert and my partner appealed to security for water. The initial reply was that any available water was for crew members only. Once other fans heard my friend’s request they also pleaded with the security person and she reluctantly returned with a small paper cup. When fans are not allowed by policy to take in any food or beverage of their own, plans MUST be in place to provide the bare minimum to prevent such occurrences.
I am sure your policies were not established to place guests’ health at risk, but I’m sorry to say that’s exactly what happened on July 2. Also, any excuse that the heat/humidity levels took management by surprise are not valid because it was quite evident days in advance that the weather was going to be of great concern. Yes, we understood that risk when attending, but we also assumed Vanderbilt operations would have set preparations in place like misting stations, access to water for General Admission patrons, and greater concern and assistance from security.
Please share my concerns with the appropriate individuals in charge of these type of situations. Although the concert itself was outstanding, I would hate for anyone in the future to suffer in this manner and worst yet, a tragedy to occur due to inhumane stadium policies. |
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pleased
bored
satisfied
sad
nostalgic