The surprise Chainsmokers concert scheduled for Sept. 24 was abruptly canceled and led to a stampede on Fiji Island at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus.
Rumors of the concert had been swirling across campus, with social media users saying it had been planned by fraternities.
Earlier this week, a booking professional for Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which represents The Chainsmokers, confirmed to Knox News in an email that an event would be taking place Sept. 24, but said it was a private event and declined to provide any additional details.
Upon arriving in Tennessee, The Chainsmokers posted a message on their Instagram story. They said they had been informed that 10,000 people showed up for what was meant to be a "small college
show" and the concert was shut down by police over safety concerns.
But the large crowd had already arrived at the patch of grass on Fraternity Park Drive known as Fiji Island.
Social media videos show thousands of people gathered on Fiji Island, packed together tightly while awaiting the canceled concert. Commenters said people were trampled.
@uberjames_utk This was at 8pm the line for @The Chainsmokers was thousands deep already #utknoxville #utk #thechainsmokers
♬ original sound - uberjames_utk
"I fully got crushed and someone landed on my sternum," a commenter wrote. "It got canceled."
"Got pinned against the fence and almost broke my hand. I started screaming and I got an inch of room to get my hand out of the fence," another person commented.
@melias_secretchunguslife ts is astroworld part 2 #utk #chainsmokers #knoxville #fyp #viralvideo
♬ original sound - kenzie_💘💘
There were gates around the area where the concert was planned that were pushed over as the situation escalated, according to social media reports.
Some compared the event to Astroworld, a 2021 crowd rush during a Travis Scott concert in Houston that ended in multiple deaths due to trampling.
"Event organizers made the decision to cancel the show in consultation with the privately hired security working the event. UTPD was not involved in the decision to cancel the show. Law enforcement was called after the decision had already been made, and officers responded to conduct a property check of the area while people were dispersing," a UT spokesperson said in an email to Knox News. "Everyone dispersed in roughly an hour and there were no reported injuries to UTPD."
The Chainsmokers are scheduled to play another college concert at Vanderbilt University on Sept. 25.
Afton Pratt covers trending and breaking news for Knox News and Tennessee. She can be reached at ampratt@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Surprise Chainsmokers concert canceled at University of Tennessee Knoxville after 10,000 show up
