Pubdate: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 Source: Savannah Morning News (GA) Copyright: 2002 Savannah Morning News Contact: http://www.savannahnow.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/401 Author: Anne Hart ALABAMA DEATH RENEWS CONCERT-SAFETY DEBATE Fans of Widespread Panic say police patrols -- like one done last week in Savannah -- are not the answer. Three days after police cracked down on Widespread Panic fans in Savannah, a woman died of a suspected overdose at the rock band's concert in Alabama. The 29-year-old from Chattanooga Tenn. apparently overdosed Saturday on the drug Ecstasy, the Associated Press reported. News of the death circulated Monday among the band's fans, dubbed "Spreadheads." Many said problems at Widespread concerts reflect what's going on throughout society among twenty-and-thirtysomethings--not just among Spreadheads. Fans feel they're being unfairly targeted by police. "I feel horrible for the girl who died," said Lance Unglesby, 24, a New Orleans law student and Spreadhead. "But there is an 'X' craze across the country. It's not just at Widespread. People are using 'X' all over the place." The death happened during a sold-out concert at an outdoor amphitheater in Pelham, south of Birmingham. About 30,000 people attended the three-day event. Erica Robins Young collapsed about 10 p.m. People continued to dance around her before she was dragged from the stands and given cardiopulmonary resuscitation, according to news reports. She died about an hour later. The concerts at Oak Mountain Amphitheater were the finale to the band's spring tour, which included a stop Wednesday for one show at the Savannah Civic Center. Fans said the last few concerts were especially moving because guitarist Michael Houser's rumored health problems have put his future tours in question. Spreadheads in Savannah had criticized police for overreacting to mellow people who just wanted to jam to the Athens, Ga. band, the Southern equivalent of the Grateful Dead. But the suspected overdose death and about 200 drug arrests in Pelham show reasons for heavy patrol at the band's venues, police said. "There is no way the Savannah Police Department would want to be put in the position of having to say, 'I told you so,' because that means someone got hurt and someone died," said police spokesman Bucky Burnsed. Police said they bolstered their presence after fans upset residents last year by selling beer, shooting fireworks and camping in the city's historic squares. No major incidents occurred at Savannah Widespread concerts. Before this year's Savannah show, the city paid about $1,240 to send two Savannah officers to scout the scene at Widespread's concert in Asheville, N.C. "The efforts that we took were not to curtail a good time," Burnsed said. "It was to ensure the safety of those attending and the people in the area." Dozens of police, including officers with drug-sniffing police dogs, were around the civic center. In a crowd of more than 7,000, officers made 38 arrests and 11 citations, mostly for drug offenses. Joe Shearhouse, the city's leisure services director, agreed that police needed to be prepared. But he said "We didn't need to go as far as we did." "We didn't need drug dogs in the lobby of the Civic Center," Shearhouse said. "I think if police took the drug dogs into Forsyth Park during the symphony concerts, they also would find drugs. You can find anything anywhere if you look hard enough." Heavy police patrol will not become a trend at civic center events, Shearhouse said. But police will be a mainstay at Widespread shows in Pelham, said Pelham police Capt. E.A Thomas Jr. About half the arrests made at the Alabama shows were felony drug cases. The rest involved misdemeanor drug and underage drinking. A three-night undercover crackdown, called Operation Don't Panic, was conducted by agents of the state alcoholic beverage control board and Pelham police. Brad Hawkins, an educator in Nashville, Tenn., enjoyed the concert Sunday in Pelham. He didn't notice a heavy crackdown or hear about the overdose death until later. Hawkins expects even stronger police showings at future Widespread concerts. "With bigger venues there will be more security," Hawkins said. "A lot of times the people making the problems aren't even there to go see the music." CROWD SAFETY Exactly how many injuries and deaths there have been at concerts is unknown. Although multiple deaths often grab headlines -- such as when 11 were crushed to death while trying to get into a concert by The Who in 1979 in Cincinnati -- hundreds of injuries and deaths at concerts go overlooked. According to an annual rock-concert survey by Crowd Management Strategies in Chicago, 55 people died worldwide at concerts and festivals in 2001 -- more than double the number for the previous year. But the survey only represents 31 worldwide events from 11 countries, not the total number of concerts and festivals. From July 1995 to July 2000, there were 49 deaths at concerts in the U.S. and 186 deaths at concerts worldwide, according to the company. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth