MANSFIELD — Officials placed more than 50 people in protective custody, made several alcohol-related arrests and treated 46 people for alcohol-related illnesses during Saturday night’s Keith Urban concert at the Xfinity Center.
In a joint press release from the Mansfield police and fire departments released Sunday morning, officials said the country music concert swamped the venue with a higher-than-expected number of problems, prompting the need for mutual aid from Foxboro, Easton, Norton, Plainville and North Attleboro.
“Last evening’s Keith Urban concert was not anticipated to present with the volume of issues handled, but measures were in place to provide appropriate and adequate care and protection to all patrons,” said Fire Chief Neal Boldrighini and Police Chief Ronald Sellon in the statement.
Of the 46 people treated for alcohol-related illnesses at the show, 22 were transported to nearby hospitals.
The chaotic scene at the venue led officials to declare a mass casualty incident just before 9 p.m. due to the number of people becoming ill in a short span of time.
A steady stream of ambulances could be seen traveling between Attleboro and Mansfield with emergency lights flashing as they drove to Sturdy Memorial Hospital and back to the Xfinity Center.
While patients were being treated at Xfinity, firefighters strained to keep up with other medical emergencies elsewhere in town and needed out-of-town ambulances to assist in medical calls, a fire official said.
Jay Anderson, marketing and public relations manager at Live Nation, which owns and operates the Xfinity Center, emailed a statement to The Sun Chronicle Sunday night.
“Last night we hosted more than 18,000 country music fans in Mansfield. Our team works hard to offer a great concert experience for fans and an overwhelming majority of fans enjoyed the concert, there were approximately 20 people that were transported to the local hospital mostly with non-serious, alcohol-related symptoms,” the statement read.
Boldrighini and Sellon thanked police, emergency and fire personnel, local hospitals and Xfinity Center ushers and security for their “professionalism and resilient efforts” during the show.
The Mansfield Fire Department also posted a note on their Facebook page thanking officials from nearby towns for their assistance.
Selectman Chairman George Dentino, speaking for himself and not the board, said he was pleased with the way the police and fire departments handled the night.
“I’m very proud of all of them. The police and fire departments were exemplary,” he said.
Dentino noted that things at the Xfinity Center have gotten “much better in the last year and half” and that there have been “very few” problems in that time frame.
The issues at Urban’s show stemmed from safety officials being outnumbered by concertgoers and that country music now attracts a much younger crowd than it did in years past, Dentino said.
“They were totally outnumbered. It was a real party atmosphere,” he said. “Country always gives us a problem lately.”
Dentino said he hand-picks which shows he will be at and was at the concert Saturday in the police and fire compound area. He said the problems began before the show kicked off.
“It started very early, long before the concert started,” he said.
The show was a stop on Urban’s Raise ‘Em Up tour, also featuring Jerrod Niemann and Brett Eldredge.
Alcohol-related issues have plagued area concert venues in the past.
At the rave-style Identity Festival at Xfinity Center in July 2012, two men died of a combination of drug and alcohol intoxication, 19 people were taken to area hospitals for treatment and 45 people were arrested.
Also at the venue in August 2012, 35 people were arrested on criminal charges and 60 were taken into protective custody, mostly for alcohol intoxication, at The Influence tour, which features rap music.
In 2010, police took more than 350 people into custody during the two-day New England Country Music Festival at Gillette Stadium, many for alcohol incapacitation, while more than 600 were taken into custody during the same event in 2012.
