FIRST OFF . . .

The concert itself was a booming success on musical terms, but an outdoor performance of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” in Glendale on Saturday night caused many residents not in attendance to call police emergency lines, nervously asking about the explosions that were part of the piece. Glendale Police Sgt. Mel Barnes said Sunday there more than 100 calls about the explosions, which traditionally accompany the overture’s final section. The explosives were set off during a pops concert by the Glendale Symphony Orchestra, which was performing outside Glendale High School, Barnes said. The booms were themselves accompanied by rockets fired into the air at appropriate times in the piece. “It was a thrill for the youngsters,” said Glendale Mayor Carl Raggio, who attended the concert, which he estimated attracted about 5,000 area residents. Raggio added that police and fire authorities were notified in advance of the pyrotechnics.