The State : 40 Arrested in Concert Fracas

After what one Irvine city councilman described as “a potential riot” at the Grateful Dead’s weekend concert, city officials said they will urge the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre management not to book the rock group in the future. Saturday night, the second of a three-night stand by the group, about 500 fans without tickets threw rocks and bottles at police and security guards when they could not get into the outdoor venue. Two police officers were injured slightly, officials said, and about 40 people were arrested, most of them for investigation of assault and drug-related offenses. Officers from five other jurisdictions were called in to help Irvine police quell the outbreak, city officials said. “It was apparent that it was more than oxygen that (some) people in that crowd were breathing,” said Irvine Councilman Cameron Cosgrove, who was at the concert to observe security. “It was remarkably lucky to disperse that many people who were in a mood to raise hell.”