Sting stung by rowdy crowd - Barricades will go back up at Civic Center concerts...
Pensacola Civic Center officials say they will insist on a barricade in front of the stage at rock concerts following a troublesome scene at the end of Wednesday night's performance by Sting.
Sting, the nickname for rock musician-movie star Gordon Sumner, was doing his second encore when some young people on the floor in front of the stage began pulling at his microphone stand. Some fans jumped on stage to touch him and one mussed Sting's blond hair.
About five youths who jumped the stage in succession were escorted or pulled off stage by a member of Sting's road crew. Meanwhile, Sting continued singing. But at one point he kicked at someone in the crowd who was pulling at his microphone and causing a loss of volume.
Sting finished the song but then left the stage, ending a performance of about two hours.
Mike Öshust, director of operations for the Civic Center, said no one was hurt.
The Civic Center normally has a 5-foot-high barricade in front of the stage to serve as a buffer between performers and the audience.
But Oshust said Sting's promoter had said prior to the show that the barricade was not needed. The promoter also wanted security people in front of the stage to let fans come close to the stage near the end of the show.
The promoters expected an audience predominantly in the 21-to-25 age range, Oshust said. In fact, the crowd Wednesday was generally younger, Oshust said. The majority of those in attendance appeared to be ages 15 to 20.
Oshust said the problem of people jumping on stage developed at one previous concert featuring jazz-pop vocalist Al Jarreau.
In the future, Oshust said, the Civic Center will dictate its policy on security and put the stage barricade in place, regardless of the wishes of the performer.
Oshust said 4,113 people attended the Sting concert, far below the center's capacity of approximately 10,000. Because of the modest turn-out, the promoter lost money, he added.
By comparison, the Rick Springfield rock concert and the rock group Chicago were sell-outs.
Sting entertained his fans with a blend of jazz and rock, backed by a strong band of jazz musicians that included saxophonist Branford Marsalis.
He performed most of the songs from his current album, 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles'. During his encores, Sting performed 'Roxanne' and 'Every Breath You Take', two of his biggest hits recorded as a member of The Police.
(c) Pensacola News Journal by Michael Burke
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