Gatherings
Author's Note: The following articles are some of my attempts at writing, revolving around Architecture and Planning...
It is indeed very hard to organize a very large event, with a very large mass of people attending. One factor that contributes to the success or failure of the event is the venue, and the type of crowd attending the event. I myself have seen or been to events that have ended in chaos or failure due to the large number of people attending.
The first event would be the University Fair 2004, wherein large numbers of high school punks and rockers pushed and pulled down the walls surrounding the fair and stormed inside, in the hopes of gaining access for free to the concert. These kids, which usually come in large numbers to rock concerts, are the ones who usually cause chaos and tragedy to such events. Having attended almost all UP fairs in my entire stay in the university, I can say that these groups are multi-generational in composition, and thus cannot be swayed or broken. As long as there are rock concerts, there would always be kids causing disturbances and chaos within these events. And ironically, it is for these very kids that rock groups go out and hold concerts.
The second event would be the Fete De La Musique at Eastwood in 2004, where heavy rains stopped the open air music festival, which is composed of various musical events happening simultaneously, scattered around the CBD. Again, the large groups of rocker kids are present. What further exacerbated the problem was the physical arrangement of the venue. Eastwood City is composed of several buildings interconnected by trellises and arcades, with fountains, gardens and eating areas located beside the paved walkways. With the chaos created by the heavy rains, the attendants have no choice but to seek shelter in these narrow pathways, and try and walk out of Eastwood through these arcades and trellises. Another problem with Eastwood City is the single main entry and exit point at Libis, which futher slows down the discharge of people within the CBD to the outermost metro. In the end, the large volumes of people are stuck in Eastwood, with the punks literally swimming in the fountains and trampling on the gardens.
The third event, which fortunately I did not push through in attending, was a rock concert in SM Megamall in 2005, at the Megamall parking lot. Again the rockers are present, contained within the parking lot through temporary high metal fences. After the concert, large groups of rockers can be seen walking the entire stretch of EDSA, occupying some lanes of the road. What happened inside the concert can only be imagined.
Music thus has an effect on people, as it brings people together to celebrate and enjoy themselves. But with venues such as these concerts, it can be a bit disturbing to fathom how people can organize, and much less survive such events. Likening them to the Orcs in Lord of the Rings, these rocker kids assemble at such a large number and manage to bring chaos whenever these concerts are held.
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