POP/ROCK - Nov. 2, 1987

Official attendance at the controversial “Cowboys for Indians and Justice for Leonard Peltier” concert featuring Willie Nelson and Joni Mitchell last week at the Pacific Amphitheatre included 5,218 paid admissions and more than 2,400 complimentary tickets, according to an amphitheater official. Earlier estimates indicated attendance was about 9,000. The concert grossed about $96,000, from which yet-to-be-determined show expenses must be deducted. Organizers staged the concert to raise money for a campaign seeking a new trial for Peltier, a founder of the American Indian Movement who was convicted in 1977 of the murders of two FBI agents. The event became a cause celebre when Richard T. Bretzing, special agent in charge of the Los Angeles FBI office, said he was “utterly revolted” by the concert.