At Anaheim Stadium, Rock Rescued Attendance Figures in Sad NFL Year : TOURISM / LEISURE TIME

Rock music may give some people a headache, but it gave Anaheim Stadium something to sing about in 1987.

Three summer rock concerts--David Bowie, Bob Dylan/Grateful Dead and Ms. Ciccone--were big factors in helping the stadium make up for attendance lost last year after the Rams canceled a game and missed the playoffs, stadium officials said.

As it was, Madonna and the other rock attractions, plus “events such as motor sports, offset the game date lost because of the (National Football League) strike,” said Greg Smith, acting general manager of Anaheim Stadium. That means they helped offset an estimated loss of almost 60,000, which is the average number of fans who attend each Rams game.

According to official estimates, the stadium’s turnstiles clicked 3.9 million times last year as fans arrived to see 155 events, ranging from Angels games to automotive spectacles. That marked a 3% increase from the 1986 total attendance of 3.7 million when the Angels won the American League West divisional title and hosted three games of the American League championship series in Anaheim, Smith said.

The patrons generated $23 million in total revenue, which added $1.5 million in net income to Anaheim’s general fund.

Even so, neither year matched 1985, when the stadium hit record attendance of 4.1 million--including 536,600 people who attended Billy Graham’s Southern California Crusade.

During 1987, almost that many--528,556 patrons--visited the stadium for concerts and other events not connected with pro football or baseball.

Another big tourist attraction, the Anaheim Convention Center, recorded 1987 total attendance of about 1.6 million for 925 “event days,” official said. That marked a 5.8% slide from the prior year’s attendance of 1.7 million for 933 days of events.

Trade shows and conventions accounted for 450 convention events last year. Once in Anaheim, convention delegates spent an average of $1,040 for a 4.65-day stay in the Anaheim area. Trade show delegates spent an average of $1,363.

Events for the general public, such as family and consumer shows, accounted for 475 days.