FRISCO (WBAP/KLIF)- Several people are upset over their experience at Bob Seger’s concert at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco this weekend. Complaints on social media, TripAdvisor and Yelp said the Ford Center was not equipped to host thousands of people. Ronnie Stapp attended the concert. He said he paid hundreds of dollars for floor seats and was disappointed, sitting shoulder to shoulder with zip tied chairs. “Our chairs had the standard zip tie I guess and it was cut, my wife got caught by it and it drew blood, it was very uncomfortable have never seen chairs like this before,” Stapp said. Some other complaints included fire safety issues, packed lobbies and not enough exits. “There were people with walkers, crutches and canes having to stand there waiting that long with the crowd I felt so bad for them… whenever the crowds moved an inch you moved an inch,” he said. “It was so dangerous you had to go down to a cement corridor to get to the exits and they were locked, it was a massive crowd of people,” said concert attendee Candy Anderson. “If there was a fire or medical emergency you wouldn’t have been able to go out and no one could’ve gone in… it was horrible,” Anderson said. The City of Frisco said in a statement: Seger fans, we hear you and recognize we need to do better. We’ve been in discussions this morning with staff at The Ford Center. Event operations staff tells us they’re committed to working with us to create a better, overall egress plan. It’s important to note, the Emergency Evacuation plan is different from the normal exit plan after an event. The Emergency Evacuation Plan is designed to get patrons out much faster. Ford Center event staff reports the building was ‘clear’ within 28 minutes following the end of the concert. Frisco Police and Traffic Engineers report the parking lots were cleared in about 40 minutes, making the total time to ‘clear’ the entire event about 70 minutes. The total anticipated egress time for a crowd of nearly 20,000 (17,129 actual for B. Seger) was approximately 90 minutes. However, we recognize the non-emergency evacuation plan following concerts and special events at the Ford Center could be improved. Rest assured, the health, safety and welfare of the public – whether you’re a resident, business owner or visitor – are top priorities for the City of Frisco and we take our responsibilities very seriously. You have our assurance we will review strategies related to both event exit plans and traffic. Thank you for your support as we work towards solutions to enhance your experience in Frisco. – The City of Frisco
