14 arrests after concert

Press, 14 November 1984, Page 9

14 arrests after concert

PA Wellington Fourteen people were arrested when violence broke out after the Wellington concert by the American rock guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan, bn Monday evening. Inspector W. H. Jenner said that the old Town Hall was overcrowded and two police constables were assaulted outside the hall as the capacity crowd poured out after the concert. Mr Jenner said that one constable suffered quite a serious bite, which required stitches, while the other was punched in the mouth. Nine people were arrested for disorderly behaviour as the crowd left, while a further five were arrested after they turned up at the Wellington Central Police

Station and caused trouble while waiting ' for ’ their friends, he said.

Mr Jenner said that the audience was far too large for the Town Hall and that the cramming contributed to the trouble afterwards. However, the concert’s promoter, Mr Stewart McPherson, of Stetson Productions, said yesterday that the police assertions were “rubbish” and that the audience size was within the legal fire-safety limits for the Town Hall. He said that there were 2016 people in the hall, and that he had seen “much rowdier” crowds at concerts there.

Mr McPherson said that many of the problems outside may have been caused by people turned away after the music had started.