Rock-Concert Plan at Stadium Rounds 1st Base

Rock concerts requiring seating on the field have not been performed at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium since 1983. But at Wednesday’s meeting of the Stadium Authority Board, the possibility of their return was discussed--and welcomed unanimously--by the nine-member board.

Stadium manager Bill Wilson told the board that “nothing has been confirmed yet” but that talks are under way with promoters for the legendary British bands, the Who and the Rolling Stones, for separate concerts in the summer and fall.

“The Who is talking about touring this June,” Wilson said, “so we’ve made ourselves available to all the promoters. The Stones should tour anywhere from September to November. No concerts are signed up yet, but yes, we sure do want ‘em.”

Could Net $200,000

Wilson said a concert by the Rolling Stones could bring as much as $300,000 in net profit to the stadium, which saw its biggest one-day payday in 1981--about $250,000--when the group played a sold-out concert at the facility, which now seats more than 60,000 for concerts. He estimated that a show by the Who would net about $200,000.

Ironically, the Who was the last group to perform a stadium concert that permitted seating on the field. Stadium tenants complained so bitterly about damage to the turf after that show that concerts requiring seating on the field have been suspended--until now.

Wilson said a new “geotextile” material will cover the turf and protect it from damage. But he said that all field seating in the future will be confined to chairs and sold only on a reserved-seat basis.

“Festival seating, meaning people standing on the field, all bunched together and dancing--with no protection to the turf--is what we don’t want,” Wilson said. “We will not have that again. That almost ruined the field after the last shows by the Stones and the Who.”

Stadium Authority Board member Mike Gotch said revenue from the concerts would go toward stadium improvements, including non-slip rubberized flooring to be installed on walkways. Additional monies would fund “seating repair and concrete repair that needs to take place, and soon.”