Crowds at the England Brothers Park watch Cypress Hill perform Sept. 1.
PINELLAS PARK – The Sublime with Rome concert on Sept. 1 drew about 10,000 people to the bandshell at England Brothers Park, the largest crowd the park has ever seen at one time, Pinellas Park spokesman Tim Caddell said.
Event organizers were expecting a crowd of between 6,000 and 7,000 to come for performances by the headliners as well as Matisyahu, Cypress Hill, Dirty Heads and Pepper. The much larger crowd caused many of the concert attendees to look for parking elsewhere, as far north on 49th Street as 94th Avenue.
But overall, Caddell said he thinks the event benefited the city.
“I think it was really good for the local economy,” he said, explaining that local restaurants like Joto’s Pizza and Pete & Shorty’s along with the businesses in The Shoppes of Park Place were busy.
There was some concern for the state of the field after heavy rains, but Caddell said the fields dried in strong winds. The city was able to use all of the designated parking spots at the park.
Still, many businesses and residents opened their yards and driveways to collect $15 per car.
“Anybody that had a space to squeeze a car was charging for parking,” Caddell said.
Pinellas Park paramedics and EMTs were busy attending to those overwhelmed by the heat of the day.
But there were no reported arrests or injuries.
Caddell said he hoped to see the Pinellas Park venue hosting similarly sized shows in the future.
“I think we proved that it will hold it,” he said. “We didn’t have a bunch of complaints. That really is the determining factor – if the residents don’t like it.”
The crowd for the England Brothers Park’s next concert – the Whip It to Shreds Tour featuring Blondie and Devo on Sept. 23 – is projected to be a more modest size, about 3,000.
“They’re not expecting anywhere near this size crowd,” Caddell said.
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