Time to Let Rock Roll at Stadium

As the city of San Diego starts taking a hard look at how it is going to raise $560 million for police and capital improvements over the next few years, $500,000 a year may not seem like much.

But if it comes without having to cut services, $500,000 starts to look great. Half a million dollars is about what San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium Manager Bill Wilson estimates the city could make if it resumes rock concerts at the stadium, which could be enough to make the operation finally break even.

There have been few big concerts at the stadium since 1983, when the city banned the turf-destructive “festival seating,” in which fans roam freely. In effect, this eliminated concerts by major rock groups, who insist on having fans close to the stage.

The ban came in the wake of a particularly rowdy concert by The Who in 1982, at which a woman was raped, and a notorious concert in 1983 by the heavy metal group Def Leppard. At the Def Leppard concert, a security guard reported that a woman was raped in a men’s bathroom while about 20 men looked on. The district attorney later determined that the woman had consented to the sexual activity, but by then the city manager had banned festival seating.

The city’s distaste for rock concerts at the time was understandable, but the ban was an overreaction, and we are glad to see that Wilson has come up with ways to minimize the chances of violence and destruction so that concerts can resume.

Wilson thinks that, by using a relatively new “geotextile” covering--a double layer if necessary--to protect the field, and by greatly increasing security, it is possible to allow reserved seating on the field without ravaging the turf.

He also plans to require concert promoters to pay for enough security to ring the field to help keep fans in the stands and to pay for more police.

In addition, he is considering a financial penalty for performers who encourage fans to come onto the field and might restrict sales of alcohol at some concerts, particularly those that appeal to younger teen-agers. Both of these sound like good ideas.

There are also more bathrooms for women at the stadium now, a change prompted by the incident at the Def Leppard concert. At one time, they were in such short supply that women sometimes used the men’s rooms.

Wilson wasn’t with the stadium at the time of The Who and Def Leppard concerts, but he is experienced in these matters. He was the police commander in charge of security at the Rose Bowl for five years and then manager of the Rose Bowl for three years. As he says, he has seen concerts from both sides.

It sounds as if Wilson has a careful plan that would allow concerts while protecting fans and the stadium and assuring that the playing field is in good condition for the Chargers and the Padres. We hope that the Stadium Authority, an advisory board to the City Council, agrees when it considers the issue next month.

The sound of rock may not be music to everyone’s ears, but if there are reasonable protections, the extra revenue would sure be welcome in city coffers.