[3] The plot is centered around the deadly gate-rushing incident that occurred in Cincinnati prior to the December 3, 1979, performance by The Who at Riverfront Coliseum, eleven weeks before the episode aired.
[3] The next day, they discuss the tragic events, the fallibility of festival seating, and the sorrow felt by both the staff and the people of Cincinnati.
[14] The facility and its executives had received lawful orders from the city's fire chief as early as 1976 concerning event actions, such as "locking and barring of exit doors during performances, overcrowded conditions and the blocking of aisles".
[21] In an interview with WEBN, Sanders stated that the cast "had an objective in mind" so that "other cities will become conscious of the dangers" of festival seating.
[22] The production team had requested from WCPO-TV (the CBS affiliate station in Cincinnati from 1961 to 1996) footage of a candlelight memorial service for the victims held at the Coliseum.
[5] The station's vice president Robert Gordon rejected the request stating "this incident is so sensitive that we don't wish to participate without greater control or knowledge of the end product".
[23] Before being broadcast, CBS vice president of operations Donn O'Brien told Wilson that the episode would not include the ending with a printed crawl message listing all cities in the United States to enact bylaws or pass an ordinance banning festival and unreserved seating.