Beyonce fans angered by storm delays, security issues at FedEx Field concert: 'Utter chaos'

BALTIMORE - Fans attending this past weekend's Beyonce concert were outraged after lightning and rain delayed her big show at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.

Many concert-goers said they were pushed and shoved. Some even passed out after they said the stadium staff lacked a proper plan to accommodate the more than 50,000 fans in attendance.

As doors were set to open on Sunday at 5 p.m., fans lined up excitedly to welcome Beyonce to FedEx Field for the second night of her world tour in Maryland. But that excitement quickly turned dark when Mother Nature made her grand entrance.

"We were all excited to see Beyonce, but to get there just seemed like a journey of chaos the entire time," said Ja'Von Hill, who attended the concert and lives not far from FedEx Field.

Lightning and pouring rain delayed the concert,  forcing thousands to pack the stadium concourse and shelter in place at 6:43 pm.

"It is utter chaos with people like arguing with the police – trying to get in, almost getting maced, it was all over social media," said Kirby Gaddy. "It was literally insane."

"I thought the show was going to be canceled honestly," said Henry Kenney III. "That was like the biggest thing on the top of mind."

After almost two hours, fans made their way to their seats. 

Stadium officials tell CBS News Baltimore that the concert was almost canceled by authorities, but they found a way to go on when the lightning stopped.

In true Beyonce fashion,  the entertainer still performed, despite rain and all, starting at 10:05 p.m. after a two-hour delay.

"The question now is, what are your emergency procedures, what is your protocol, what is your training? Because whatever you were trained on, none of that happened last night. It was utter chaos," Gaddy said.

"When we were trying to get off that escalator - at one point they were like stop, then go, then stop, then go," Hill said. "That was part of the huge commotion there, it just seemed like they were on the fly trying to figure things out."

Officials with FedEx Field told CBS News Baltimore that despite uproar online and at the stadium, once the shelter-in-place was issued, staff was pulled from the parking lots, but fans continued to come in, creating the chaos that ensued.

In a statement to CBS News Baltimore, a spokesperson for FedEx Field said:

On Sunday evening, when a severe thunderstorm arrived over the stadium, we took preemptive actions to keep fans safe, including having them shelter in place in the concourse. The safety of our fans is our highest priority.

Despite the chaos, the love for Beyonce and the show she eventually put on was worth the chaos. "I love her, I am a stan - she can do no wrong in my eyes," Gaddy said. "The show was definitely worth the wait and the delays. She put on an amazing performance and even the dancers danced in the rain without missing a beat, Kenney III said. "I would definitely go again."