It was like Beatlemania...

Queen Street was blocked and Police called to the scene as hundreds of schoolchildren barricaded two American singers inside Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) on Friday afternoon.

Hott 107.5 president Glenn Blakeney organised an autograph and picture session with US artists ? Tre Songz and Brandy's brother Ray J ? to promote a Hott 107.5 concert at the Bermuda College yesterday at 7 p.m.

But KFC General Manager Frank Suess said his restaurant was not going to be used for it again.

"We tried to have the shop open at the same time but it was not happening," Mr. Suess said. "They went totally crazy. We thought they were going to break the windows."

Mr. Suess said the crowds at around 4.30 p.m. was nothing compared to around 3.30 p.m. when the throng spread completely across both lanes of Queen Street. Zoe Smith, 14 of Berkeley Institute said she was hurt in the pushing, screaming, banging crowd.

"While I was waiting I was being pushed. It hurt. The guard was so nice he let me in. I have a massive headache but it was worth it," Ms Smith said.

Students were let into a metal-barred cage and let into the shop ten at a time.

"If I had not gotten in I would have been very upset," she said.

Owner of Deepdale Bouncers Kendrick Zuill said he had never seen anything like this in Bermuda.

As the two young stars were brought to the windows the students outside banged until they started to flex and Hott 107.5 president Glenn Blakeney had to yell, "Stop banging or we won't let you in!"

Mr. Blakeney said he was trying to do something positive for young people.

"Maybe young men need to follow the behaviour of young women in the community and then they will know how to be excited but how to be controlled and be part of what something they enjoy," the PLP backbencher said.

He said he did not expect this many children to come.

"It is far beyond our expectation," Mr. Blakeney said.

They looked for a sponsor with a shop in which to sign autographs, he said and approached a music store but it was refused.

The idea was for KFC to stay open while the signings went ahead, however, the crowds were too large and the shop needed to be closed for crowd control, he said.

"We would have needed equal amount of security to keep these girls away from these young guys," he said. "We didn't expect these numbers."

He thanked the Police for attending the scene which completely stopped traffic on Reid Street during rush hour and forced traffic into one lane as Police struggled to get giddy children onto the sidewalk.

Next time the radio station brought celebrities to the Island, it would probably be out of Hamilton, he said. "There is a good possibility we would consider somewhere else if the demand seems it is going to be like this," he said.

He conceded to sensing there was going to be a heavy flow of fans as early as Thursday when fans bombarded the station on Union Street and knew then he needed help beefing up security for a tight crowd control.

"For the future we will look at this in postmortem view of drawing from that conclusions that will help us manage it a little better in the public interest," he said

When waiting outside 17-year-old CedarBridge student Yulanda McDonald said she was there because, "He sings and he is from away.

"Some people might not be able to see him tonight."

She said the word got out on the radio and around the schoolyard grapevine.