TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On the way to perform at the Taiwan National Day fireworks in Taichung, Taiwanese rock band Fire EX. became stuck in traffic and scurried to make it on stage, per UDN.
The schedule change was due to the scrapping of a drone show, as too many people in the audience flew their own drones, leading to potential signal interference. This made a large-scale show, with hundreds of drones flying in unison, unsafe.
Further complicating matters was the fact that remarks made by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃), and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) ran ahead of schedule. This, together with the cancellation of the drone show, led the emcee to start the fireworks 20 minutes ahead of schedule, to the surprise of many in the audience.
Faced with the abrupt change in schedule, Fire EX. was put in a difficult situation as they tried to make their way to the stage while many people were looking skyward to enjoy the fireworks. Furthermore, the police had not implemented traffic control on this road, which was the only access point for band members and their equipment.
When the band requested a police escort to the stage, the band was surprised by officers who expressed indifference, seemingly paying more attention to the light show overhead than their duties. Fire EX. lead singer Same Yang (楊大正) expressed his frustration on Facebook.
Yang questioned the Taichung City Government’s ability to manage large-scale events. The abrupt schedule change and lack of police support with regard to traffic measures could have compromised the band’s performance, he said.
As for who is at fault, the organization and execution of the Taiwan National Day fireworks were evenly divided between the Taiwan National Day Preparatory Committee and the Taichung City Government. With regard to Yang's criticism, the Taichung City Police Department said it is continuing to seek out the identities of the uncooperative officers.
Fortunately, Fire EX.’s manager took matters into his own hands and began directing traffic on the street, clearing a lane for the band’s vehicles. Yang and the rest of the band were able to make it to the stage 10 minutes before their revised performance time.