[no subject]

Cincinnati Lifts GA Ban For The Boss 

A ban on the festival-seating arrangement that
contributed to a fatal 1979 stampede at a Cincinnati
arena will be lifted for a Bruce Springsteen concert
this fall, officials said. Springsteen requested that
the city reinstate general admission seating for his
Nov. 12 concert at U.S. Bank Arena. Managers of the
venue said they were eager to try it anyway to compete
with arenas in other cities that allow such an
arrangement for top acts. 

Eleven people were trampled to death Dec. 3, 1979,
when fans rushed the doors at the arena -- then known
as Riverfront Coliseum -- for a concert by the Who.
Cincinnati later banned festival seating, allowing
reserved seats only, and started new crowd control
measures. 

Cincinnati police gave permission for the variance at
the Springsteen concert. "They're not a crowd likely
to get rowdy and cause trouble," police spokesperson
Lt. Kurt Byrd said. "He draws a generally well-behaved
crowd." 

General admission floor seating will represent about
1,800 of the arena's 17,200-seat capacity for the
concert, with the rest sold as reserved seats, Byrd
said. Tickets go on sale Saturday (Aug. 10). 

But the consultant who recommended safety improvements
after studying the 1979 tragedy opposes lifting the
festival-seating ban at the arena where the deaths
occurred. "People all the time forget the lessons of
the past," said Paul Wertheimer, a Chicago-based
consultant. 

Jim Moehring, general manager of U.S. Bank Arena, said
security will be closely monitored to assess the
chance of using festival seating for other concerts.
Other venues might pack as many as 2,500 fans into the
floor space where U.S. Bank Arena will allow 1,800,
Moehring said. Floor seat ticket holders will receive
wristbands that security workers will check often, he
added. "Whether or not they can do this well, it
shouldn't be done -- for safety's sake -- and because
it will set a precedent," Wertheimer said.


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-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
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