Fan fury at poor control

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Photo / Getty

Crowd procedures will be reviewed after fans said they were crushed and feared for their lives at last week's Coldplay concert.

About 40,000 people packed into the Auckland Council-run Mt Smart Stadium last Saturday.

People who had queued outside for hours to ensure a prime spot said they were trampled in the rush when the doors opened.

"I expected a properly managed route to the arena but instead the gates suddenly opened and a security guy told everyone to 'go for it'," said Justin Susans, 19, a student at the University of Auckland.

"Thousands of people started pouring through a small gate and in the charge some people fell over and there was a lot of pushing. It was like a mad stampede.

"There was no proper organisation."

Emily Edkins, 18, from Beachlands, said she was frightened. "It had real potential for disaster and I heard a lot of people also had problems getting out of the ground at the end. It marred a brilliant concert."

Robert Domm, chief executive of the council's Regional Facilities arm, said: "Frankly, we will be conducting a debrief and reviewing some of our procedures to improve access and egress.

"We take the concerns and feedback of patrons very seriously and we need to do this better the next time."