Fleetwood Mac · Billy Hebert Field Incident Page
Incident Overview · Concert Disturbance

Fleetwood Mac
Billy Hebert Field

On 29 April 1973, a Stockton concert featuring Fleetwood Mac, Buddy Miles, Canned Heat and the Elvin Bishop Group ended in major disorder. Later and contemporary summaries say police used tear gas, with injury and arrest figures varying between sources.

Date29 Apr 1973
VenueBilly Hebert Field
LocationStockton, CA
FatalitiesNone verified
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Core Facts

What Happened

Incident nameFleetwood Mac concert disturbance at Billy Hebert Field
Event billFleetwood Mac, Buddy Miles, Canned Heat, Elvin Bishop Group
Location detailBilly Hebert Field, Oak Park area, Stockton
Current address lead3600 N. Sutter St, Stockton, CA 95204

The source file identifies the incident as a 29 April 1973 concert disturbance at Billy Hebert Field in Stockton, California. Concert database sources confirm the date, venue and four-act bill.

The strongest incident-specific account located is the Rolling Stone report indexed as Fleetwood Mac Show in Stockton Broken Up By Police Tear Gas. Its visible search-result text says more than 80 people were injured, including 28 police officers, and more than 50 were arrested.

Later retrospective sources repeat much of that picture, but some open-source discussion gives lower or differently framed figures. No death was verified in the reviewed source set.

View disputed figures →

Quick View

Incident Highlights

1973
Year
The disturbance occurred during the spring 1973 concert season.
15k+
Attendance claim
Later chronologies say more than 15,000 attended.
80+
Injured claim
Rolling Stone and later chronologies report more than 80 injured.
50+
Arrest claim
Rolling Stone’s snippet says more than 50 arrests.

Chronology

Known Sequence

Concert scheduled
Fleetwood Mac, Buddy Miles, Canned Heat and the Elvin Bishop Group are listed for Billy Hebert Field, Stockton, on 29 April 1973.
Large crowd attends
Later summaries describe attendance above 15,000, while other retrospective discussion gives a broader 15,000–20,000 range.
Police intervention
The Rolling Stone article title and later accounts describe the show being broken up by police tear gas; some later sources also mention pepper fog and rubber bullets.
Injuries and arrests reported
Rolling Stone’s indexed text gives more than 80 injured, including 28 police, and more than 50 arrests. A later Stockton History snippet gives 28 injuries and 42 arrests.
Aftermath uncertain
No fatalities were verified. Claims such as drug-overdose counts and “last rock concert at the field” remain unverified in the source set.

Reliability

Operational Picture

📍
Date and venue strong
Setlist and concert archive sources support 29 April 1973 at Billy Hebert Field, Stockton.
🎸
Bill well supported
Fleetwood Mac, Buddy Miles, Canned Heat and Elvin Bishop Group recur across event listings.
🚨
Police action repeated
Rolling Stone and later summaries identify police tear gas as a key part of the disturbance.
⚖️
Casualty figures disputed
The injury and arrest totals differ between stronger published reporting and later open-source references.
⚠️ Reporting CautionUse the Rolling Stone figures as the main published incident claim, but label them as source-reported because the full article was not opened here and later sources give different totals.

Disputed Details

Conflicting Information

Disputed Detail
Arrest total

Published and retrospective/open-source sources do not settle one arrest figure.

Rolling StoneSearch-result text reports more than 50 people arrested.
Stockton History Facebook snippetSearch-result text says police reported 42 arrests.

The lower figure appears in later open-source discussion; the higher figure appears in the contemporary Rolling Stone report snippet.

Disputed Detail
Injury count

There is a gap between the broad injury total and a police-reported injury figure in later discussion.

Rolling Stone / later chronologiesMore than 80 injured, including 28 police officers.
Stockton History Facebook snippetPolice reported 28 injuries.

These may count different groups or stages of reporting, but the source set does not resolve it.

Disputed Detail
Attendance

Attendance is reported as a range rather than a verified final count.

SuperSeventies / ClassicBandsMore than 15,000 attended.
Retrospective discussionBetween 15,000 and 20,000 attendees.

No primary accessible attendance record was verified beyond the repeated “more than 15,000” claim.

Unverified Details

Fatalities

No death connected to the incident was verified.

1973 address

The current official listing is 3600 N. Sutter St, but the event-era address was not verified.

Gold Rush branding

“Gold Rush Caravan to the Sky” appears in later secondary/open-source references only.

Drug overdoses

Thirty overdoses appeared only in later open-source references and was not independently confirmed.

Last rock concert claim

The claim this was the last rock concert at Billy Hebert Field was not verified from a strong source.

Full Rolling Stone access

The Rolling Stone article was not fully opened; the indexed snippet was used cautiously.

Evidence Base

Reference Cards

01
Rolling Stone · Magazine report
Fleetwood Mac Show in Stockton Broken Up By Police Tear Gas
7 June 1973
Contemporary incident report. Indexed text states that more than 80 people, including 28 police, were injured and more than 50 were arrested. It also confirms Billy Hebert Field as the venue.
Visit Source →
02
setlist.fm · Event listing
Fleetwood Mac Setlist at Billy Hebert Field, Stockton
No page date stated
Confirms Fleetwood Mac at Billy Hebert Field, Stockton, California, on 29 April 1973. Useful for date, venue and event matching rather than casualty evidence.
Visit Source →
03
Concert Archives · Event listing
Fleetwood Mac / Canned Heat / The Elvin Bishop Group / Buddy Miles
No page date stated
Confirms the four-act bill, date, city and venue. It supports the event identity but does not independently verify injuries or arrests.
Visit Source →
04
City of Stockton · Venue listing
Billy Hebert Fields
Current page
Official facility listing giving the current Billy Hebert Fields address as 3600 N. Sutter St, Stockton, CA 95204. Used for present-day location reference only.
Visit Source →
05
Visit Stockton / StocktonLive · Venue context
Stockton Ballpark
No page date stated
States that the Stockton Ports previously played at Billy Hebert Field in Oak Park, supporting the local Oak Park location wording used in the source file.
Visit Source →
06
University of the Pacific · Archive record
Parks: Billy Hebert Field, 3600 N. Sutter St.
No page date stated
Postcard record describing Billy Hebert Field as located in Oak Park. Useful for place-name context and venue identity.
Visit Source →
07
billyhebert.com · Venue history
Field History
No page date stated
Venue-history page stating that Oak Park Field was renamed Billy Hebert Field, helping connect Oak Park references with the venue.
Visit Source →
08
Lost Live Dead · Retrospective
May 27, 1973 Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, CA
25 March 2022
Retrospective post referencing the Stockton incident, naming the venue and bill and stating that police fired tear gas, pepper fog and rubber bullets. Secondary source.
Visit Source →
09
SuperSeventies · Chronology
April 1973
No page date stated
Later chronology entry reporting more than 15,000 attendees, police tear gas, more than 80 injured including 28 police, and 50 arrests. Secondary retrospective source.
Visit Source →
10
ClassicBands.com · Chronology
Rock 'n' Roll History For April 29
No page date stated
Chronology entry repeating the Stockton disturbance, attendance above 15,000, more than 80 injured and 50 arrests. Secondary source.
Visit Source →
11
Audacy / 98.5 WNCX · Almanac
Classic Rock Almanac April 29, 2022
29 April 2022
Later almanac entry stating police fired tear gas canisters into a crowd attempting to enter the Stockton concert. Secondary source.
Visit Source →
12
X / @60sPsychJukebox · Social post
April 29, 1973… Goldrush Caravan to the Sky
29 April 2024
Open-source retrospective post linking the date, city, bill and “Goldrush Caravan to the Sky” name to the incident. Treated as a lead, not primary evidence.
Visit Source →
13
Facebook · Open-source summary
Inside The World Of Rock post on Stockton concert
No verified page date
Search-result text states more than 15,000 attended, police used tear gas, more than 80 including 28 police were injured, and more than 50 were arrested. Secondary/open-source summary.
Visit Source →
14
Facebook · Stockton History group
Stockton police brutality at 1973 Fleetwood Mac concert
No verified page date
Search-result text ties the incident to Billy Hebert Field at Oak Park and gives conflicting figures: 28 injuries, 42 arrests and 30 drug overdoses. Treated cautiously.
Visit Source →

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