How Social Media Ruined The Galleria Flash Mob
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (CBS13) -- When the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra invited all 185 of their singers to the Roseville Galleria for a surprise Christmas sing-a-long, they also invited members to bring along their family and friends.
Their plan was to get into position among the holiday shoppers and begin singing Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" unannounced, launch into an impromptu holiday music concert, and then go about their day. It would have been a textbook example of a "flash mob."
"Come join our large Chorus of area Singers as they burst into Handel's Hallelujah Chorus much to the surprise and delight of Shoppers in the Food Court of the recently reopened Westfield Galleria at Roseville ." ~ Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra website.
There was ample precedent to serenade unsuspecting shoppers. A YouTube video posted last month, showing a successful rendition at a Canadian mall, has already racked up more than 24 million views.
The enemy of flash mobs seems to be publicity.
"Monday @ 7:30 pm at the Galleria in Roseville!" ~ Twitter user Articulatus, 10:25 p.m. Dec. 19
"Later im going to the Mall Here in Sac and watching a FlashMob :)" ~ Twitter user JBlover9597, 2:25 p.m. Dec. 20
"Anyhow. I'm gonna go witness a flash mob. Videos to come later. (:" ~Tumblr user The Ramblita, 5:33 p.m. Dec. 20
"If a flashmob is so well promoted that everyone knows it's going down, doesn't it cease to be a flashmob and become just a concert" ~ Twitter user PastorDude1, 6:31 p.m., Dec. 20
"We will be at the Roseville Galleria Mall singing the Hallelujah Chorus with a giant gang of singers! 7:30pm! Come say whats up and maybe we will sing you a song!!!" Facebook user Hero's Last Mission, 6:41 p.m. Dec. 20
Once the news made its way to Facebook and Twitter, the surprise had been spoiled and at least 5,000 people packed the Galleria food court shoulder-to-shoulder.
"OMG its wall to wall crammed people & it doesn't start for 45 minutes" ~ Twitter user pastortjoe, 6:46 p.m. Dec. 20.
"Jammed like sardines in Roseville Galleria food court forXmas flashmob." ~ Twitter user KerryShearer, 7:07 p.m. Dec. 20
News media outlets, including CBS13, had prior knowledge of the event and were already on the way to cover the story when emergency crews began rushing to the scene ahead of the planned 7:30 p.m. event over fears that the second floor of the mall could collapse.
Witnesses told authorities they heard loud bangs and felt the floor shudder repeatedly.
Fire officials ordered the entire mall to evacuate while they inspected the damage, triggering a traffic gridlock in the parking lots and surrounding highways that kept would-be revelers stuck for hours while the crowds trickled away.
"Sooooo, there was supposed to be a flash mob at my local mall. But they're not letting anyone into the mall because they're at max capacity. I bet this is what a Twilight premiere feels like." ~ Twitter user scarletevenings, 7:09 p.m. Dec 20
"Standing in a very fail flashmob in Roseville." ~ Twitter user ayourdyourd, 7:11 p.m. Dec. 20
All the while, participants and irate shoppers documented the failed flash mob through social media.
"Just the thought of the Hallelujah Chrous made the ground shake -- literally!" ~ Twitter user dkenitzer, 8:41 p.m. Dec. 20
"Yeah we're one of those groups that shuts the house down BEFORE we sing." ~ Twitter user airelj.
