PNC concertgoers enjoy show, don't mind added security
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A sold out PNC Arena hosted Raleigh's first major concert since Monday night's deadly bombing in Manchester. The Grammy Award-winning group, The Chainsmokers, arrived in town two days after 22 people were killed in the terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert in northern England.
Megan Thornton and her two sisters came together from Knightdale with little apprehension about attending a concert timed so closely to the horror overseas.
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"We believe in our public safety in Raleigh and we feel safe to be here," Thornton said.
Her sister agreed.
"No, absolutely, I'm not (scared to be here)," Thornton's sister Haley said. "If anything (the bombing has) amped up the security a lot more. So we actually feel safer being here tonight than anywhere else in Raleigh."
Complete coverage of the Manchester Arena explosion
Concertgoers told ABC11 they felt comforted by the added level of security. There seemed to be little complaints about the slow lines through metal detectors or the increased presence of arena security and Raleigh police officers.
And, in response to the UK terror attack, PNC Arena officials sped up their plan to deploy bomb-sniffing dogs at all events. The K9s were on patrol at the gates.
Nicole Faby and her girlfriends have had this concert on their calendar for a while now.
"We bought the tickets months ago," Faby said. "And (after the Manchester bombing) we were totally worried about it - but now we're not."
"We have a group girls text message and I think the first thing I sent was, are you worried? I'm a little worried about it," Jamie Thornton said.
"That's the first time I think we've ever had to think about what would we do if something happened at a concert," said Jamie Deaver. "You don't normally think about that."
That's exactly what the public should be doing according to security experts - consciously contemplating an escape plan for the many open venues people find themselves at daily that despite added security remain vulnerable to attack.
