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Live Nation issue statement on When We Were Young safety concerns and logistics

Following the huge online buzz around When We Were Young, promoters Live Nation have shared an update on the organisation of the event.

Live Nation issue statement on When We Were Young safety concerns and logistics
Words:
Kerrang! staff

The unbelievable line-up announcement for October's When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas has been all anyone's talked about this week. And while just as many nostalgic fans have been stoked on the amazing comebacks on the packed bill – from Paramore to Avril Lavigne – plenty of people have questioned how the whole thing is even going to be possible.

From logistics to safety concerns, social media has been buzzing with questions about the event, and on Wednesday night promoters Live Nation (who also work on the likes of Download Festival and Reading & Leeds) shared a statement with Newsweek addressing it all.

First up, they confirmed that the "safety of fans, artists and staff is thoroughly planned for among event organizers and in coordination with local authorities". This is after people brought up the November 2021 Astroworld tragedy, for which Live Nation are currently under investigation.

"We have seen a lot of excitement around this festival and we look forward to putting on an incredible event for all of the fans this October," they continue. "We encourage fans to check the festival website and socials for all of the latest updates."

They add that the chosen venue for the festival, the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, "is a large event space that has held multiple other large scale events and festivals in the past".

The actual line-up itself has come into question, too, with TikToker @thebatmer going viral this week for a video that explained how the day could potentially work, and how long the 65 bands playing might get per set (given that it's taking place between 11am and 11pm, and there are three stages).

“Set times will vary with earlier bands having shorter sets and the headliners having the longest,” say Live Nation. “For many festivals it is typical for earlier acts to have 20-30 minutes, while headliners often perform longer, closer to 45 to 60 minutes or more."

For more info, head to whenwewereyoungfestival.com.

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