Up to 15,000 attend the Next Big Thing 3 alternative rock concert.
By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published December 8, 2003
[Times photo: Douglas R. Clifford]
Clutching her shoes, Edie Kennedy, 14, of Sarasota is carried atop the crowd as Less Than Jake performs during the concert. The city of Clearwater had been skittish about hosting the event due to previous complaints. But officials say the crowd behaved for the most part this year. In photo above vocalist/guitarist Chris Demakes, right, and vocalist/bassist Roger Manganelli of Less Than Jake entertain concertgoers.
CLEARWATER - Call it One Last Chance: 3.
Would the crowd behave?
For the most part, it did.
Huddled in sweat shirts against temperatures in the mid 50s, a mob of alternative rock fans filled Coachman Park on Sunday to listen to A.F.I., Fuel and Dashboard Confessional among other bands at the Next Big Thing 3 concert.
The event, sponsored by WSUN-FM (97.1), known as 97X, got a big turnout.
To to keep the crowd manageable, the city had allowed only 12,500 $25 tickets to be sold, but the crowd was much larger because of gate crashers.
Clearwater police said that when the concert started at 11 a.m., fans started breaking down gates at the Clearwater Main Library construction site, then jumped an inner fence to sneak inside the park.
"They also came over the fence at "vendor's row,"' said Clearwater police Sgt. Gregory Stewart. "People try creative ways to get in."
By 3:30 p.m., Stewart estimated the crowd to be between 14,000 and 15,000, nearly the venue's capacity.
By 5:45 p.m. and with two bands to go, emergency crews had responded to 120 medical calls. Although Stewart did not know the nature of their injuries or illness, six people were taken to area hospitals.
He did say one security man broke his ankle while assisting a crowd surfer across a metal "pressure wall"near the stage.
Still, Clearwater City Manager Bill Horne, who was in the audience, said the injuries were not because of underage drinking, drugs or even rowdiness.
"It's because the crowd is participating in body surfing," he said. "I don't see any indicators that we won't continue to offer this to our (residents)."
The city had been skittish about hosting the event because of past complaints.
At one Next Big Thing concert, a camera panned the crowd as women flashed their breasts and the images were displayed on huge screens high above the stage.
"We control the camera now," Horne said.
Danielle Walters, 15, who came from Wesley Chapel to see the show with her friend, Ashlei Christian, also 15, agreed the crowd was just there to see a good show, not make trouble.
"They're hard," she said of the crowd. "But they'll pick you up if you fall (in the mosh pit). I love to mosh, so I'll be back in there."
Andrew Callahan, 19, of Clearwater, and his girlfriend Michelle Spano, 16, of Holiday, were enjoying the concert when something near the pond drew their attention. Two guys stripped down to their boxers and flung themselves into the water. Then an unidentified girl took her top off and waded in before the chilly water caused her to hurry back to shore.
"This is fun," said Spano with a laugh. "I love it."
But Brendan Murphy, 25, a concert veteran from Bradenton, was a little disappointed.
"It was better last year," he said. "There were more bands and it ended later."
