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USC's Springfest Concert Shut Down Before Headliner Rae Sremmurd Could Perform
Rae Sremmurd in concert. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
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The annual Springfest concert at the University of Southern California was shut down early Saturday night because of overcrowding and safety concerns, according to the Daily Trojan. The Fire Marshall asked the crowd to disperse in the middle of Migos' set. Headliner Rae Sremmurd had yet to perform. According to a statement from the Los Angeles Fire Department, there "was no stampede, and no life threatening injury," but the LAFD "assessed 4 ill or injured persons."
USC Concerts Committee announced Rae Sremmurd and Migos as the headliners March 24, a week before the concert. The final official lineup was announced Friday, with Big Gigantic, Vanic, Xylo, courtship, and Taylor Wise rounding out the set. The concert was only open to USC students, with each student allowed one guest, according to the USC Concerts Committee event page. Despite these precautions, the event exceeded capacity and became a safety concern. Jonah Haven, a senior at USC, described the event as "understaffed," leading "everyone to just bum rush in." Elizabeth Kanovsky, another senior, said she saw "lots of people hopping the fence and pushing to the front of the stage." Migos had performed two songs when the Fire Marshall "interrupted and shut it down," according to Haven.
USC Concerts Committee had tried to book Rae Sremmurd for the past three years, according to USC Annenberg Media. The "radius clause" has often impeded their booking because of USC's proximity to Coachella. Neither Rae Sremmurd nor Migos are on the Coachella lineup this year, so the radius clause didn't have the same impact. Rae Sremmurd's Black Beatles and Migos' Bad and Boujee are two of the most ubiquitous tracks in contemporary music, so their presence on the Springfest lineup was guaranteed to draw a live crowd.
LAist has reached out to USC for comment and will update when we receive more information.
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