Tribune photographs by BRUCE JOHNSON

Mike Gauthier of Tampa, left, and Bob Marky, of Tallahassee try to sell extra Who tickets.

Some Who fans partied in the parking lots before Saturday night's concert.

Mania Mellows with Age

By Bob Ross

Tribune Staff Writer

TAMPA — For those who value organization, security and cleanliness, Saturday's Who concert at Tampa Stadium was a study in perfection.

The Who, once famous for smashing equipment and destroying hotel rooms, have become paragons of propriety — and the huge staff that puts on their shows follows the band's example.

The audience has little choice but to fall in line.

"We have about 400 to 500 security personnel working tonight," said Mickey Farrell, the stadium's assistant director of operations. "About 140 or 150 are uniformed officers and the rest are from the private security company hired by the promoter. They keep the aisles clear and keep traffic flowing."

They also keep people from entering areas for which they do not have tickets.

As the 55,303 ticket holders started filling the stadium at 5 p.m., they found themselves gently but firmly pressed to behave like grown-ups. This was no problem for fans who had matured along with the band they had come to see.

"We've had about 10 arrests so far tonight," said Tampa police Maj. J.W. Sigmon at about 9 p.m. — roughly halfway through the Who's loud but crisp-sounding show. "And we've ejected about 40 people for drinking or being disorderly."

That's a small percentage out of 55,000, compared to past events. Why the change?

"We've gained a lot of experience," Sigmon said. "We know how to handle crowds better, to keep out cans, bottles and coolers. That helps a lot.

"There's a different mentality now," Sigmon observed. "Just look at the crowd. Heck, look at the band."

Indeed, gray hair was plentiful on and off stage Saturday. But so were younger types — bare-chested revelers such as Frank Kenny, 21, of Pinellas Park.

"This is my first time to see them," Kenny said as he sipped beer in the parking lot before the gates opened. "But I'm a big fan. I bought my tickets the day they went on sale. Hey, I was at Woodstock. I was one year old, but I was there."

At least one worker at the concert was less than thrilled by the tight security techniques. Steve Knill, a promotion and marketing expert from Milwaukee, works for one of the Who tour's corporate sponsors.

The company sells beer.

But there was not a sip of brew to be bought in Tampa Stadium on Saturday.

One note on the mania of a sold-out show: Tampa is not a scalpers' market. People with spare tickets to sell found few buyers outside the stadium, and just before show time ducats were being discounted and even given away. There's a lesson there for people who buy the maximum number of tickets and hope to turn a profit.