Fans raised concerns over what they considered a slow response to a man suffering a medical emergency at Bruce Springsteen’s concert Friday at Portland’s Moda Center.
According to several audience members, the incident occurred about one third of the way through the show, which had already been delayed 10 minutes due to the long line of fans unable to get inside the arena for the official start time.
Audience members said that quick-thinking fans of “The Boss” sitting nearby jumped to the man’s aid, administering CPR for several agonizing minutes before first responders arrived.
The Portland Police Bureau, Portland Fire & Rescue and the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office said they could not provide any information about the man’s condition.
Springsteen and the E Street Band apparently did not notice the commotion, which occurred in section 209, behind the stage. The lights stayed down and the band played on.
According to one Reddit user, the situation inside the arena was “total chaos.”
“A few of us shouted for the house lights to be turned on or to stop the show,” @Novel_Barracuda_7617 wrote. “But the venue and police ignored that. This person could have been saved if the venue did the right thing.”
“For several minutes another concert goer was giving CPR,” the user continued. “That was the slowest first-responder action I have ever seen.”
Another commenter called the location of the incident “the worst place possible for something like that to happen.”
“It was a really tight space so hard to get him on the floor,” wrote @Striking-Plenty-8852. “It was dark and the music was so loud it was almost impossible to communicate…I think bystanders did the best they could. He had everything going against him.”
The Moda Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Several Reddit commenters with experience in the live music business wrote that stopping the show might have a negative effect.
“Sometimes in these situations a show stop is more dangerous as the wider audience becomes nervous and people start to move,” wrote user @roqueandrolle, “which can impede the work of the paramedics and disrupt access to emergency exits”
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