POP/ROCK - July 31, 1987

It was a match made in heaven: the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Grand Haven, Mich., and a heavy-metal rock band from Detroit. The VFW post in the Lake Michgan resort town wanted to hold an outdoor concert headlined by the Detroit band Halloween, but was faced with stiff opposition from city officials and has given up on the idea. “I think the whole thing is outrageous,” said LeRoy Purcey, a Louisville, Ky., promoter who handles bookings for Halloween. City Manager Larry Deetjen opposed allowing the VFW to hold the Halloween concert on a downtown street because of what he felt was the rock group’s preoccupation with death.