Capacity crowds at Bruno Mars concert leave attendees stuck for hours
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Bruno Mars took over Falcon Stadium at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) over the weekend with "The Romantic Tour," drawing two capacity crowds to the venue.
However, major traffic gridlock followed the performances, leaving some concertgoers stuck in parking lots for hours.
Prior to the event, representatives for USAFA had expressed certainty that vehicle movement around the stadium would proceed without issue. Changes had been implemented to help the flow, according to USAFA officials.
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Following the concerts, several social media videos shared with KRDO13 showed heavy gridlock across the parking lots, which soon went somewhat viral.
Britney Treadaway attended the Sunday show and departed the venue early to avoid the anticipated congestion. Despite leaving ahead of schedule, Treadaway said it took around three hours to reach her hotel, located directly across the highway.
Treadaway described the scene exiting the parking area as an unmitigated disaster.
“It was like a spider web of cars," Treadaway said. "There were cars heading in every direction. They were cars and lines that went to nowhere. There were people driving in all different directions.”
Treadaway also highlighted safety concerns and a lack of organized traffic control on site after the concert.
“There were no lights in that lot," Treadaway said. "It was a total melee. They should be ashamed of themselves for putting people in this position to have to figure out their own way to get out of this lot.”
Furthermore, Treadaway observed that individuals who had been tasked with directing traffic appeared to be disputing how to deal with the flow of vehicles.
“I saw them and we turned and I thought to myself, 'Okay, yeah, it's no wonder we're not going anywhere,'” Treadaway said. “They don't know what they're doing or where we're supposed to be heading from a traffic perspective. In this world, there's got to be a traffic consultant, right. Who can come and look at the satellite (imagery) of the lots and figure out how to improve the traffic flow and pattern there. This is something we can solve today.”
KRDO13 reached out to the Air Force Academy for comment, and they provided the following statement:
“The Academy was honored to have hosted Bruno Mars’ “The Romantic Tour” and be part of one of the largest global concert tours in 2026, in Colorado Springs. Over the course of the weekend, we welcomed over 67,000 fans for two memorable events in Falcon Stadium. Fan safety and visitor experience remain top priorities. We will continue to improve our operational procedures to enhance this experience alongside our community partners. We look forward to welcoming our community back to the Academy for future events.”
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