ALABAMA DEATH RENEWS CONCERT-SAFETY DEBATE

Fans of Widespread Panic say police patrols -- like one done last week in
Savannah -- are not the answer.

Three days after police cracked down on Widespread Panic fans in Savannah,
a woman died of a suspected overdose at the rock band's concert in Alabama.

The 29-year-old from Chattanooga Tenn. apparently overdosed Saturday on the
drug Ecstasy, the Associated Press reported.

News of the death circulated Monday among the band's fans, dubbed
"Spreadheads." Many said problems at Widespread concerts reflect what's
going on throughout society among twenty-and-thirtysomethings--not just
among Spreadheads. Fans feel they're being unfairly targeted by police.

"I feel horrible for the girl who died," said Lance Unglesby, 24, a New
Orleans law student and Spreadhead. "But there is an 'X' craze across the
country. It's not just at Widespread. People are using 'X' all over the place."

The death happened during a sold-out concert at an outdoor amphitheater in
Pelham, south of Birmingham. About 30,000 people attended the three-day event.

Erica Robins Young collapsed about 10 p.m. People continued to dance around
her before she was dragged from the stands and given cardiopulmonary
resuscitation, according to news reports. She died about an hour later.

The concerts at Oak Mountain Amphitheater were the finale to the band's
spring tour, which included a stop Wednesday for one show at the Savannah
Civic Center. Fans said the last few concerts were especially moving
because guitarist Michael Houser's rumored health problems have put his
future tours in question.

Spreadheads in Savannah had criticized police for overreacting to mellow
people who just wanted to jam to the Athens, Ga. band, the Southern
equivalent of the Grateful Dead.

But the suspected overdose death and about 200 drug arrests in Pelham show
reasons for heavy patrol at the band's venues, police said.

"There is no way the Savannah Police Department would want to be put in the
position of having to say, 'I told you so,' because that means someone got
hurt and someone died," said police spokesman Bucky Burnsed.

Police said they bolstered their presence after fans upset residents last
year by selling beer, shooting fireworks and camping in the city's historic
squares.

No major incidents occurred at Savannah Widespread concerts.

Before this year's Savannah show, the city paid about $1,240 to send two
Savannah officers to scout the scene at Widespread's concert in Asheville, N.C.

"The efforts that we took were not to curtail a good time," Burnsed said.
"It was to ensure the safety of those attending and the people in the area."

Dozens of police, including officers with drug-sniffing police dogs, were
around the civic center. In a crowd of more than 7,000, officers made 38
arrests and 11 citations, mostly for drug offenses.

Joe Shearhouse, the city's leisure services director, agreed that police
needed to be prepared. But he said "We didn't need to go as far as we did."

"We didn't need drug dogs in the lobby of the Civic Center," Shearhouse
said. "I think if police took the drug dogs into Forsyth Park during the
symphony concerts, they also would find drugs. You can find anything
anywhere if you look hard enough."

Heavy police patrol will not become a trend at civic center events,
Shearhouse said.

But police will be a mainstay at Widespread shows in Pelham, said Pelham
police Capt. E.A Thomas Jr.

About half the arrests made at the Alabama shows were felony drug cases.
The rest involved misdemeanor drug and underage drinking. A three-night
undercover crackdown, called Operation Don't Panic, was conducted by agents
of the state alcoholic beverage control board and Pelham police.

Brad Hawkins, an educator in Nashville, Tenn., enjoyed the concert Sunday
in Pelham. He didn't notice a heavy crackdown or hear about the overdose
death until later. Hawkins expects even stronger police showings at future
Widespread concerts.

"With bigger venues there will be more security," Hawkins said. "A lot of
times the people making the problems aren't even there to go see the music."

CROWD SAFETY

Exactly how many injuries and deaths there have been at concerts is
unknown. Although multiple deaths often grab headlines -- such as when 11
were crushed to death while trying to get into a concert by The Who in 1979
in Cincinnati -- hundreds of injuries and deaths at concerts go overlooked.

According to an annual rock-concert survey by Crowd Management Strategies
in Chicago, 55 people died worldwide at concerts and festivals in 2001 --
more than double the number for the previous year. But the survey only
represents 31 worldwide events from 11 countries, not the total number of
concerts and festivals. From July 1995 to July 2000, there were 49 deaths
at concerts in the U.S. and 186 deaths at concerts worldwide, according to
the company.