Searing Temps At Ed Sheeran’s Melbourne Gig Caused People To Drop Like Flies

Melbourne concert-goers who saw Ed Sheeran perform at Etihad Stadium are complaining of stifling hot conditions inside the venue, with multiple people needing medical attention.

One attendee told Yahoo 7 that she saw seven people being wheeled out of the venue during Saturday night’s concert before Sheeran had even taken the stage.

“I had called Etihad Stadium myself and was told that there was no air conditioner and that the promoter had chosen to keep the roof closed,” said Ally Meli.

One woman, who attended the concert with her two daughters and their friend, said that medical attention was needed “every five minutes”, and that due to their seats they were “trapped” without enough water.

A lack of water was a common issue, with one attendee saying how he spent $60 on the $5 bottles in order to keep him and his wife hydrated in the soaring heat. Other concert-goers described the water price as “extortionate”, while another said that, to add insult to injury, the bottles of water were warm, anyway.

“The stadium was an absolute joke,” wrote Brenton Matcham. “It was 35 degrees in Melbourne and yet the venue’s management still insisted on having the roof closed. It could have easily been 40+ degrees inside a packed, sell-out stadium. There were people dropping like flies. To rub salt into wounds the venue was selling HOT bottled water for $5 a bottle wtf. Come on Etihad, that’s a bloody joke, I spent $60 on bottled water throughout the night to keep myself and my wife hydrated.”

Another woman, Karen O’Kane, said her 13-year-old son had multiple nose bleeds due to the heat, and that ice packs provided by first aid “melted within minutes”.

One person even said that Ed Sheeran himself commented on the heat on stage.

Prior to the concert, Etihad Stadium tweeted that the roof would be closed but that free water would be provided throughout the festival.

Ambulance Victoria confirmed to Yahoo 7 that a number of people were treated for dehydration at the venue, and that one woman was taken to hospital due to a leg injury.

PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to both Etihad Stadium and Frontier Touring for comment.

A spokesperson for Etihad Statdium told Yahoo 7 that the roof was closed at the request of the touring management, and that “the temperatures in side the stadium was not at a level that put Ed’s fans at risk.”

Ed Sheeran is scheduled to perform one more show at the venue before heading to Sydney and Brisbane.

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