Rock Concert Today in Tijuana : 25,000 Expected to Cross Border for MexFest

Harmony was the unofficial theme struck by U.S. and Mexican officials for today’s expected flood of 25,000 Americans across the border to attend Tijuana’s MexFest rock concert.

In virtually every area, Mexicans and Americans will be working together to ensure the success and safety of the six-band, eight-hour event, promoters said Monday.

A command post staffed with bilingual workers from both sides of the border will be on the concert grounds, the Agua Caliente Race Track in Tijuana’s Colonia Chapultepec, where 600 private security guards and a medical team of 30 will be on hand should they be needed.

Although only 4,000 of the $22 to $26 concert tickets had sold in the host city by Monday, officials predicted sales will increase by 20% today.

In Southern California, on the other hand, about 15,000 tickets had been purchased by Monday by fans who hope to see The Bangles, Oingo Boingo, The Fixx, Squeeze, Hoodoo Gurus and Chris Isaak. The concert will be co-sponsored by Agua Caliente and radio station 91X-FM, which is based in Tijuana.

‘Going Smoothly’

“Everything is going smoothly. It’s going to be a real success,” said Jorge Hank Rhon, owner of the race track. “We’ve got everybody helping, the five or six police departments of Tijuana and San Diego, the customs officials, the governor, the mayor . . . everyone on our side, everyone on your side.”

Hank Rhon said a team of eight doctors and 22 paramedics--again, a mix of Mexicans and Americans--will handle medical emergencies at the concert.

“We’ll have two tents with 40 beds and we’ll have access to six ambulances and a (helicopter) from San Diego,” Hank Rhon said. The emergency room staff of Hospital del Prado in Tijuana also will be on alert, he said.

Hank Rhon said gates to the event open to the public at 2 p.m., and the seating is festival style--first come, first served. The music will begin at 4 p.m. and continue until midnight.

Concert officials Monday warned that concertgoers will face close scrutiny as they enter the race track. Items such as cameras, tape recorders, bottles and lawn chairs are prohibited.

“We’re handling it the same as any other concert in the U.S., but it is in another country,” said Cory Meredith, president of Event Management, the Los Angeles-based firm that will oversee security. “We’re going to have good communication with the Mexican officials, but they are going to handle the kids in a way that makes them want to come back to Tijuana.”

At the border, U.S. customs officials said they expect to triple their work force to also scrutinize the mass of concertgoers as they return after midnight in as many as 50 buses, by cab and on foot.

No Relaxation of Law

“We are not relaxing any of the law enforcement because of the increase in volume of people. On the contrary, we will be seriously enforcing ‘tolerance zero,’ which provides that no controlled substance can enter the country,” said Jerry Martin, port director for the U.S. Customs Service.

Thomas Jimenez, general manager of 91X-FM, said the radio station may just break even on the $750,000 cost of the concert, but the Noble Broadcasting station’s purpose is to gain publicity from completing the project successfully. Hank Rhon said the event may bring as much as $2 million in profits to the city. Jimenez said that local officials are banking on those numbers from the concert, which he said is only the first of a planned series.

Senior Tijuana police officers, eager to disprove their history of clashes with tourists, said they will patrol the city in full force, along with state and federal police, at the same time ensuring that music fans have a fun, safe visit.

Two years ago, after receiving reports of extortion attempts by Tijuana police, the U.S. Navy placed the border town off limits to military personnel from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

But Tijuana officials want to forget the past and roll out the red carpet to visitors. They are also asking that visitors show respect to Mexican authorities.

“We are prepared for the crowds,” said Eduardo Bravo Quintero, executive director of the Tijuana police. “It is a great honor to host this event and we will have the necessary number of people on the streets to make sure everyone has a nice time. We ask that they respect us and our laws and we will make sure that everyone has fun.”