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Extra measures for final show of Tempe festival

Posted at 11:15 PM, Sep 27, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-28 02:15:46-04

After a night of music at Tempe Beach Park turned into a busy evening for paramedics on Saturday, city officials worked to try to prevent a similar scene on Sunday. 

On day three of the Summer Ends Music Festival, eight concert-goers were transported to a hospital after fans rushed a stage.

In total, 16 people were sent to hospitals including eight other fans who suffered from heat and dehydration issues. Officials said alcohol played a role for some who were treated. 

In total, 300 people were evaluated by paramedics on the scene. 

For the festival's final and biggest performance with Kanye West on Sunday, city officials brought in misters, set up more water stations and more medical units were on stand-by in case they were needed, all in hopes of preventing a repeat of Saturday. 

Officials from the city of Tempe along with Tempe's fire department and police force said the crowd for Sunday was expected to be half the size of Saturday's 28,000 sold-out show. 

Tom Lapenna, owner of Lucky Man Concerts who is the event promoter of the Summer Ends Music Festival, said in a statement that "unfortunately, the actions of a few, affected many people."

"A few overzealous fans began pushing towards the stage causing the people closest to the stage to have their space compromised," his statement read. "We paused the music for 30 minutes allowing security and medics to assist those wanting to leave the area closest to the stage and assist anyone needing medical attention."

Tempe police told ABC15 they were working with the event promoter to avoid any similar type of incidents.

For Sunday's final show, 12,000 fans are expected to partake in the festivities. 

Officials told ABC15 that they are taking notes and evaluating how to prevent these types of incidents in the future by taking a look at ticket sales and crowd control among other things. 

"We're looking at the number of people, the times, when concerts are going on, the times of when we're opening," Rob Downing, deputy chief with he Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department said. "There's a lot of different things we're looking into closely because we want to prevent anyone from getting hurt at all times."

Tempe fire officials recommend people pre-hydrate prior to participating in similar events, as some on Saturday had already shown up to the concert dehydrated.