Live Nation Declines To Comment On Man's Death At Tinley Concert

TINLEY PARK, IL — Live Nation, operators of Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, declined to answer questions surrounding the death of a Zion man at Sunday's heavy metal concert.

A spokeswoman referred questions to local authorities.

"The safety of our fans, artists and employees is always our top priority. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are cooperating fully with local law enforcement and all inquiries should be directed to their office," she wrote in an email.

The questions Live Nation would not answer include: What happened to the man? How did the venue respond? How long did it take to assist the man, and what kind of emergency plan is in place for similar incidents?

Live Nation also would not say who provides emergency services for Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.

Earlier, Tinley Park Fire Chief Forest Reeder said he did not have the information because his department did not handle the emergency call. "The Fire Department was not present for this incident at the amphitheater as the emergency medical services are provided by a private contractor for any on-site emergencies," he said.

Richard Valadez, 62, of the 2300 block Galilee Avenue in Zion, was pronounced dead at 11:34 p.m. Sunday at Franciscan St. James Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. The cause of his death is not yet known, and an autopsy is pending, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office said.

Valadez had been attending Knotfest, a heavy-metal music festival. Distraught concertgoers reported seeing Valadez suffer in distress while venue staff were slow and sometimes struggling to help him after he fell to the ground while he was dancing in a mosh pit.

Witnesses said that while they understood it must be difficult for the amphitheater's staff to manage an emergency during a loud concert with thick crowds, they were nevertheless disturbed by what seemed like the unacceptably long amount of time it took to not only reach Valadez, but to get him out of the concert area and to the parking lot.

Attempts to reach village and police officials late in the day Thursday were not successful.