A free concert by the band Bedouin Soundclash in front of Vancouver's supervised injection site was cancelled Thursday night before a single chord was played.

The concert had been scheduled to take place in front of Insite -- the supervised injection site -- on East Hastings in Vancouver's grimy Downtown Eastside.

The site operates under a federal drug law exemption and allows addicts to inject heroin under supervision. But it has also come under intense criticism from the federal government, which has indicated it wants to shut it down.

The concert by the Kingston, Ont., based band was to show support for the facility.

A police spokeswoman said Insite officials did not get a permit for the concert and city crews began dismantling the stage in the early evening, backed up city police.

Hundreds of people milled around the area and more than two dozen police officers blocked traffic and kept the crowd in control until most people dispersed about 7 p.m.

Vancouver city police Const. Jana McGuinness said organizers had requested a permit earlier in the day but it was denied by the city under a traffic bylaw.

She said the city had concerns about traffic safety since Insite fronts onto East Hastings, a busy thoroughfare in the Downtown Eastside.

When the city showed up to remove the stage, McGuinness said police came to assist.

She said police had offered organizers a chance to set up the stage around the corner on a less busy street.

"They did not wish to take us up on the offer of that street closure."

She also said the band decided not to play when it realized there was no permit.

"There were a lot of people milling about, some tension in the crowd, so our officers were there assisted by some of our crowd control members."

But Jay Malinowksi, Bedouin vocalist and guitarist, said the band wanted to play but couldn't.

He described the mostly peaceful scene as "one of the most violent responses to a free outdoor acoustic show to build awareness for a program that is under fire right now."

"I want to build awareness for a program that is forward thinking and progressive."

He said there were "kids outside and they just want to hear some music and maybe they've come from another side of town and they haven't seen this problem."

Despite the unhappiness of some of the crowd, there was a bit of a festive atmosphere as other people served up hamburgers to some of the area's needy people.

With a report from CTV British Columbia and The Canadian Press