More than 30 taken to hospital after concert at WestConn

DANBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Western Connecticut University officials say they were happy with how the situation was handled after a "dayglow" concert over the weekend sent at least 30 people to the hospital.

"Dayglow," dubbed the "World's Largest Paint Party," is an event that includes music, acts, fire shows, and cannons that shoot paint on the crowd. According to the website, the shows are wildly popular and tickets often sell out days before the tour makes a stop.

The show stopped at Western's O'Neill Center over the weekend, but it was not a school sponsored event.

"We rent out space on campus to concert promoters," said university spokesman Paul Steinmetz. "These concerts are known to produce patients like this, but these concerts produced fewer patients than other 'dayglow' concerts have."

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who stresses he values the relationship the city has with the university, is concerned about numbers of people who needed medical care. Danbury police officers were needed at the event.

"Anytime this is happening within the city, it can be unnerving, and it can take resources away to what could be a very serious event somewhere else in Danbury. I think it's something the university will have to evaluate," Mayor Boughton said. "Not all of them were taken for alcohol abuse. Some were dehydrated, over-excited, things like that, but in general, that event tends to attract a lot of drinking, which happened in Hartford. So I think a re-evaluation might be in order, but I trust they'll make the right decisions."

The school says a great deal of planning went into the tour's visit and that the vast majority of people taken to the hospital were not students. Officials are reviewing the events to see what, if any, changes should be made.

"We've gotten some attention for this, but we're happy with how it was handled," Steinmetz said.