Seven people were arrested and dozens were hospitalised during a series of low-level public disturbances at a Kenny Chesney concert in Pittsburgh over the weekend, it has been reported.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that a total of 57 medical emergency transports were called out to the 55,000-capacity Heinz Field stadium on Saturday night (July 2nd) to treat people for an array of alcohol-related injuries.

Kenny ChesneyCountry music star Kenny Chesney in concert in 2014

The city’s public safety spokesperson Sonya Toler told the local news outlet that five people were detained by police on charges ranging from trespassing, ticket robbery, simple assault and public intoxication – a figure that eventually rose to seven.

There were also a number of fights between fans at the arena, including one in which a police officer injured a thumb while trying to break it up. Roughly 36 people were cited for underage drinking in the vicinity of the stadium in the hours before the gig started, along with three people charged with drug-related offences.

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After the concert ended and the clear-up operation began, a witness told the Post-Gazette that there “reeking, hulking mass of garbage left over” and people “covered their noses with their shirts to escape the stench” from the portable toilets.

The huge overnight operation, clearing up in the wake of more than 15,000 vehicles attending the ‘tailgate party’ in the arena’s parking lots, involved removing more than 48 tons of rubbish.

Despite the carnage, Pittsburgh’s chief operations officer Guy Costa said that he was “very pleased” with the inter-agency co-operation that allowed such a large event to pass off relatively trouble-free.

A 2013 concert by Chesney in the same city also drew national headlines, when Rolling Stone reported that 73 people were arrested and more than 30 tons of debris was left behind by attendees.

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