City fire code blocks country singer's concert in Sports Dome

Concert promoters hoped that country star Dwight Yoakam's "Jeans on the Green" show at the Anchorage Sports Dome would usher in a new era of musical happenings for Alaskans, a way to enjoy big name acts in an outdoor-like setting without actually having to be outdoors.

But the event, originally scheduled for June 25, won't happen. City officials told organizers last week that the facility does not meet the criteria for hosting such shows as stipulated in the Anchorage Fire Code.

"We're devastated," said concert facilitator Bob Winn. He told the Daily News he was stunned when told of the obstacle at a meeting that included Mayor Dan Sullivan.

Winn said the "Jeans on the Green" concert was envisioned as a way to avoid problems previously encountered at the annual Blues on the Green event. "It's traditionally been held out of doors," he said, "but we couldn't beat the weather in Alaska."

In happy years, bright skies and mild breezes have drawn thousands of music fans under the summer sun to hear performers like Johnny Winter, Taj Mahal, John Mayall, Otis Rush and Bo Diddley. But just as often, cold northern rain put a damper on the fun. In 2005, winds at notoriously gusty Kincaid Park raised clouds of dust and blew chairs and concession tents across the grass.

Anchorage's acting fire marshal, James Gray, explained his reasons for recommending against allowing the concert. "The Dome was originally approved under a very limited scope of the International Building code which allowed only sporting events in it, such as ice skating, tennis, horse riding, etc.," he said.

Asked how 2,000 people in an indoor space watching a horse event might be different than 2,000 people in the same space watching a man play a guitar, Gray listed several differences between sports and concert events.

"Concert-goers are often impaired in some way," he said. "There is usually limited lighting or lighting effects; the majority of the crowds are gathered in the center of the dome rather than along the periphery; most concerts have stages with high power to sound and lighting equipment; sometimes they throw in pyrotechnics that the fire department did not know about."

Winn told the Daily News that there were no plans for fireworks or similar effects planned for the Yoakam concert.

Certain non-sport events, like a health fair last October, previously have taken place in the Dome.

"While it may not seem reasonable on the surface," Gray said, the regularly updated codes "take into account many national and international successes and disasters."

"I am sincerely sorry that we are not able to approve your application," Mayor Sullivan wrote in a letter to Alice Federenko at the Sports Dome. "I am bound by the code."

But, he added, "I do not want to completely close the door to future events of this type at the Dome." He suggested that the Dome management might look at making changes and applying for a change of use designation. Changes could include installing an automatic sprinkler system or structural support for the inflated fabric that forms the facility.

Winn said organizers had hoped for sales of between 2,000 and 4,000 tickets at prices ranging from $49 to $99. They had not yet reached the lower number, he said, but did not anticipate doing so until closer to the concert date.

"It's sort of traditional in Alaska that people wait until the last minute," he said.