Hard L.A. Canceled

HARD TIMES: In the wake of last month’s L.A. Coliseum rave in which a 15-year-old girl died of an alleged drug overdose, the annual Hard L.A. concert, headlined by M.I.A. and scheduled for this Saturday at downtown’s L.A. State Historic Park, has been canceled. The announcement comes on the heels of the County Board of Supervisors appointing a task force to “enhance rave safety” after Sasha Rodriguez died of a suspected OD after attending the Electric Daisy Carnival, which drew a crowd of 185k. Hard promoter Gary Richards denied the cancellation was caused by the Coliseum incident, but acknowledged that city officials forced the producers to add “extra stipulations and requirements” that resulted in “unforeseen costs.” The company, Hard Events, plans to go ahead with an Aug. 7 concert at the same venue, with some acts scheduled to appear Saturday shifted to the later event. (7/13a)