Kenny Chesney concert at Heinz Field: 5 arrested, 25 tons of trash removed
Sights and sounds from around the Kenny Chesney concert
Beer bongs, beer darts and more sights and sounds from the tailgating scene before the Kenny Chesney concert on Saturday, June 2, 2018, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Police arrested five people and cited 15 on Saturday during country superstar Kenny Chesney's visit to Pittsburgh's North Shore.
The concert, known for wild and sometimes out-of-control tailgating and partying, was less unruly this year, police said, calling it a mostly safe and successful evening.
City crews removed 25 tons of garbage from the North Shore, according to police.
All the arrests were related to public intoxication and disorderly conduct, said Alicia George, a spokeswoman for Pittsburgh police. State Liquor Control Enforcement officers issued at least 19 citations for underage drinking, police said.
The number of arrests are slightly down and the citations up from 2016, the last time Chesney and his No Shoes Nation came to Pittsburgh. In 2016, police arrested seven people, issued citations to four and gave one a summons arrest. The city started cracking down on the tailgate and party scene outside of Heinz Field after Chesney's concert in 2013 when 70 people were arrested.
About 30 tons of garbage was removed from the North Shore in 2013. City crews removed about 48 tons in 2016.
Paramedics treated 78 people and 29 were taken to hospitals. Most of the medical conditions were related to alcohol, police said.
Eighteen people went to hospitals for drinking too much. One person was injured when people fell down an escalator on each other. People went to hospitals for problems with the heat, burns from a grill, a head injury from falling, a seizure, chest pain and other issues. One person was taken to the hospital after an assault. Police provided no further details about the assault.
In 2016, paramedics treated 99 people.
Throughout the day Saturday, police remarked that the concert goers were more friendly than in past years. The police presence was high during the hours of tailgating before the concert but it did not appear to restrict partiers. The scene was wild — boats tied up six to seven, even 10 deep along the North Shore, the beds of pickup trucks packed with people singing karaoke, people taking shots on the top of an old ambulance, fully stocked bars, beer bongs and a new game, beer darts — but did not seem out of control.
Officers were scattered throughout the parking lots and patrolled along the river. Many seemed to get to know the tailgaters around them throughout the day.
Police on horseback made several passes down North Shore Drive, General Robinson Street and other streets in the thick of the tailgates. The horses were popular with some concert goers, and police stopped to let people pet them.
Police tightened rules and regulations for tailgaters over past concerts. This year they issued a "zero tolerance" policy for misbehaving fans.
Police required the partying stopped and the lots cleared of people at 7 p.m. and gave people an hour to clean up and drive away after the concert ended.
The parking lots were not supposed to open until 1 p.m., but officers, parking lot attendants and security staff started allowing people in just after noon. People were not supposed to line up outside the lots waiting to get in, but lines of cars and trucks stretched down Martindale and Merchant streets and clogged traffic nearly two hours before the lots were due to open.
Aaron Aupperlee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at aaupperlee@tribweb.com, 412-336-8448 or via Twitter @tinynotebook.
