22-year-old Cory Barron's body was discovered in an Oberlin landfill Tuesday afternoon. Barron had been missing since Friday evening, when he wandered away from his family and friends at the Jason Aldean concert at Progressive Field. Early statements from police indicate that Barron likely fell through a garbage chute in the northwest portion of the upper decks of the stadium that led five stories straight down. That garbage chute was through a double set of doors near the bathrooms near the section Barron had been sitting in. A friend who was with him at the time indicated to police in statement that Barron was heavily intoxicated. Investigators have not ruled on a cause of death.
Many questions have been asked since that string of tragic information came out: How did Barron get into the garbage chute room? Why was it open? Is there videotape from surveillance cameras? Where was security?
There are very few answers, and though the PD's Patrick Cooley and others have asked the pertinent parties — the Indians, Gateway, Live Nation (the concert promoter) — there has been little but deflection. Some of that is reasonable: there's an ongoing investigation. Also, it's very likely that some or all parties involved are going to be sued. It's pass the blame right now, as Cooley details.
Gateway: Live Nation was responsible for security.
Gateway Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Todd Greathouse said the organization's contract with Live Nation placed the national concert promoter in charge of security for the Aldean concert. Gateway used its own security personnel to sweep the outside of Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena following Friday's concert, but Greathouse said Live Nation was responsible for security sweeps inside the building.
Live Nation: It's Gateway's responsibility.
Live Nation spokeswoman Jacqueline Peterson said she couldn't speak about security measures for the Aldean show."We're the promoter, those questions would go through the building manager," she said.
Indians: We're not talking.
Attempts to reach the Indians' vice president of building operations Jim Folk were unsuccessful. Club spokesman Curtis Danburg declined to comment on stadium security."I can't comment on anything like that now," he said. "There will be a time and place, but we aren't there yet."
Cleveland police did say 35 people were arrested on alcohol-related charges during the show.
Having been at the concert, I can tell you security was absolutely abysmal. Security members stationed on the field seemed overwhelmed by the crowd, unable to answer simple questions about seating, routinely ignored crowded aisles filled by folks who seemed to wander down from seats elsewhere, openly ignored plenty of skirmishes, and seemed unconcerned by the multitudes of stumbling inebriated patrons, one of whom vomited on herself and returned to her seat with her puke-stained dress. To say this was among the drunkest crowds I've witnessed at a concert would be an understatement. It wasn't even 8 p.m. by the time people were falling over chairs.
Which brings up a secondary concern outside of security: How much Barron was served inside the stadium and under whose responsibility that falls.
