Rain Or Shine, Crowds Turnout For March Madness Music Festival
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) - Rain that fell heavily at times on Saturday didn't dampen the energy at the March Madness Music Festival.
Crowds turned out to Reunion Park for LL Cool J, comedian Kevin Hart, and Tim McGraw.
Police were once again a notable presence at the park, with more officers on site in uniform and plainclothes after a theft of pyrotechnics on Thursday.
Ron Pinkston, President of the Dallas Police Association, said the upgrade in security affected about three dozen officers.
"The CRT and Deployment units of the Dallas Police Department were called into work overtime on Saturday and Sunday for the NCAA related events due to a legitimate emergency. But the emergency was created by a lack of planning by police management which resulted in pyrotechnics being stolen," Pinkston said.
The theft also led to a policy change at the gates. Attendants were required to carry belongings in clear plastic totes, instead of personal purses or bags. The clear bag rule previously only applied to inside AT&T Stadium.
Umbrellas are also prohibited at the concert series, which concludes on Sunday with Pat Green, fun., and Bruce Springsteen.
"We're okay with the plastic bags right now because we are using them to shield our heads from the rain!" said Ashley Bishop, a Dallas resident attending the concert with a friend and kids.
As the rain fell, thousands gathered at the stage for country superstar Tim McGraw, the afternoon's headlining act.
"We're having an amazing time! Awesome!" said some of the music fans.
The skies briefly cleared around the time the UConn and Florida semi-final game began, drawing more basketball fans to Reunion Park to watch the game on the big screens by the stage.
The Killers are set to take the stage around 7:30 p.m., or at the approximate time the first semi-final game ends.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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