‘America Rocks’ ‘em to Sleep at Sports Arena

Talk about your box-office fiascoes: Of 13,000 available seats at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, only about 200 were occupied Sunday for “America Rocks,” the closed-circuit concert portion of the national 1986 Kodak Liberty Ride Festival.

By the end of the four-hour affair, only about two dozen people were still around. Even if the proceeds were going to the campaign to restore the Statue of Liberty, pop fans apparently had little interest in watching Huey Lewis & the News, Hall & Oates and others via satellite from the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

For the die-hards, many of whom said they been given promotional tickets, the “show” consisted of watching the acts on an unimposing 15-by-20-foot screen and two smaller ones. A few people took advantage of the dark auditorium to take afternoon naps, while others slouched in their chairs nibbling on snacks. The only time the crowd came to life was toward the end during Lewis’ tight, up-tempo set. All 24 or so really seemed to enjoy it.