Police and fire officials on Wednesday defended their decision to allow festival seating at the Nov. 12 Bruce Springsteen concert at U.S. Bank Arena, saying they're confident in the safety of the event.

        The permit is the first permit exception to the festival seating ordinance since the 1979 concert by the Who, also at the former Riverfront Coliseum, claimed 11 lives.

        Mayor Charlie Luken asked city officials to explain the decision Wednesday, saying “Cincinnatians have a natural concern whenever they hear the words, 'festival seating.' ” But the mayor also said he thought the decision had been somewhat misinterpreted by the public.

        Of the 17,000-seat capacity in U.S. Bank Arena — the new name for the Firstar Center and, before that, Riverfront Coliseum — only 1,800 floor seats would be first come, first served, Police Lt. Col. Richard Janke said.

        City ordinance bans festival seating for events with more than 3,000 tickets, and the city's new interpretation could clear the way for many future festival seating arrangements — concerts that are increasingly popular with performers because it allows them to charge more for floor tickets.

        Among the factors safety officials considered: the number of entrances, the gate opening times, and the number of emergency personnel who will staff the event, said Assistant Fire Chief Mike Kroeger.

        “All of that led us to the conclusion that it could be done safely,” Col. Janke said.

        To investigate safety procedures, police and fire officials have visited similarly arranged concerts in Indianapolis and Dayton, and will send a delegation to a Springsteen concert in Chicago in September.

        “It's very tough to get them to volunteer for that,” Col. Janke said.

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