PISTOLS PACKING:

With word of the Sex Pistols’ plans for a June 3 outdoor concert in Finsbury Park--the London neighborhood where lead singer John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) grew up--marking the 20th anniversary of the seminal punk band, U.S. concert promoters report that details are being worked out for a full tour here, despite continued public denials from the group’s representatives.

The band’s representatives are said to be pushing for large arenas such as the Forum in L.A. and Madison Square Garden in New York. But some promoters fear that the band, which only played five shows in the U.S. before disbanding in 1978, might not be able to fill those halls, and that such a tour would leave the impression that the group was only doing the reunion for the money. The promoters contacted by Pop Eye unanimously prefer smaller, more “punk� venues.

The U.S. tour would likely begin after British and European dates, which are expected to include the headlining slot on the closing day of the Phoenix Festival near Stratford-on-Avon on June 21, as well as appearances at other key festivals.