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Police arrested many who attended the New England Country Music Festival at Gillette Stadium on Saturday. (Photo by Stu Skerker)
FOXBORO - State police were arresting people by the busload Saturday as a music festival once again dissolved into a block party of underage drinking and fighting.
Dozens of concert-goers were held for crimes ranging from underage drinking and drunk and disorderly conduct to assault and battery as police cracked down at the New England Country Music Festival at Gillette Stadium.
As of 11 p.m., police said about 40 people had been arrested, with about 45 more waiting to be processed in portable booking trailers. By the end of the night, police said over 100 people may face arrest.
Those waiting to be arrested were being held in prisoner transport vans while awaiting booking.
Last year's festival, also headlined by Chesney, caused problems when thousands of ticketless fans showed up and turned parking lots into block parties, complete with binge drinking. The day was full of fights and car vandalism.

Authorities guide those arrested at the New England Country Music Festival into the police station. (Photo by Stu Skerker)
To combat these problems, state and local police patrolled parking lots, checking the identification of those drinking and trying to keep tempers down.
This year marked the fifth anniversary of the annual festival. Kenny Chesney headlined the concert, which featured an all-star line-up, including LeAnn Rimes and Keith Urban.
The concert also caused traffic delays as concert fans flocked to Route 1, as well as Interstate-95 and Interstate-495.
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2008/07/27/news/3459314.txt