Open air concerts at Walnut Street clubs

[Richard Swearingen]

Did anyone else have any issues with the block party/concert at the Chrome nightclub on Wednesday of this week? I realize that they had a permit, but I'm not sure if anyone had any prior notice or was even aware of just how loud and how far the sound would carry. I realized it would be an issue when I could hear their mic checks at 5:30ish as clear as a bell in my back yard on the 400 block of West Maple. When I walked to downtown later that evening I could hear the band warming as I walked past the Shamrock...it sounded like they were in the parking lot of the Shamrock instead of nearly a mile away at Chrome. Unbelievablely clear...that corridor of buildings channeled the sound right up the strees of Walnut and Maple. Sure enough, I got a text from my wife at around 10:00 that the windows were rattling from the noise and that the kids couldn't go to sleep. The sound was so clear that she assumed it must have been coming from the Acoustic. She called the police and the second she said noise they told her that "chrome has a permit until 11 and you can file a complaint with the city tomorrow," so I'm assuming hers was not the first call.

I have no issue with open air concerts and it looked like a fun event, but until 11PM on a weeknight? We're 3/4's of a mile from the concert site and our kids couldn't sleep...I really feel for those who needed to be up for work on Thursday morning who live on the 800 and 700 blocks of Maple.

[wanda buda]

You are exactly right about how abnormally loud it was. Their equipment must have been extremely powerful.i know someone who lives on Fairview Ave, 2 blocks away from Broadway ( probably atleast 15 to 20 blocks from Chrome, and they told me they could hear the words. The city acted very irresponsibly about this, to not investigate it more. Maybe they should have one of these open air concerts in the Mall Parking Lot and see how Steve Darden enjoys it.

[Richard Swearingen]

my understanding is that chrome wanted this to the first of many "block parties." When my wife called the city on Thursday morning, they told her that hers was the first compaint and they seemed surprised that the noise was an issue. So unless others called in afterwards, the city probably thinks everything was just fine.

[wanda buda]

I know for a fact that more than one person called 911 on Wed night, and the police chief the next day, and were told there was nothing could be done because the City commission had voted for this. We need to write letters or emails to the commission members and tell them our thoughts on this problem. They should have monitored the sound. All of the police have equipment to test the sound level to be within the sound ordinance guidelines.

[sarah orr]

I myself had no issue with the music and only live two blocks away.
I am thinking I must need to get my hearing checked if so many people so far away heard it word for word.
I along with several neighbors walked down early that evening to check out the venue only to realize that the promoter must have been sorely dissapointed in his turnout.
Living in a university neighborhood has many advantages as well as drawbacks and music is one of them. We have our wonderful "music in the park" which I whole heartedly support and our much younger neighbors would like on occasion to hear theirs.
My issues with the neighborhood are a little more complex than just loud music once or twice a year.

1. Safety for our children playing in the front yard.
The constant speed trap on Walnut only diverts them directly down the residental portions of our neighborhood. Speeding down Pine, Maple and Locust is the main problem, not Walnut.

2. Absent and neglectful landlords with unsafe overpriced housing for our temporary student residents.
I have long thought that there needed to be a tenants association in place here for renters. You only have to stroll by a few of the aging neglected complexes here to see that a fire would have dire results. "remember the John Sevier".

3. Fraternity houses
I know this is a personal one with me since I have one in my back yard. Some years are good some are bad. "They need to be on campus" This discussion has been going on for I cannot even remember how many years. And the greek leaders will tell you like they told me to my face,"we are not going anywhere". They live under a cloak of diplomatic immunity, policed by no one other than themselves.
I also fear "fire" for these dwellings.

Our student residents bring life and vitality to our neighborhood and deserve to have a little of their music every now and then, but they also deserve a safe place to live.
And our youngest residents, our children need to be able to play outside and ride their bike, without fear of being struck by the car who is avoiding the speed trap on Walnut.








Lisa Orr

[Jodi Jones]

We installed our window units in the kids rooms that night so they could sleep. I am pretty tolerant of parties and student noise but that concert was particulary loud. And I actually like that kind of music and recognized a few songs. I will say, unlike student parties in apartments around us, I at least knew it would come to an end at 11 and it did. Still, I think something was wrong with the volume. Oddly, my mother over on the 600 block of Pine St didn't feel like it was that loud at her house but louder, more offensive down here on the 300 block of Locust. I don't know why that would be. Has anyone contacted the city?

[Sheila Gwaltney]

I am all for people having a good time but we could hear the music loud and clear at 300 W Pine with the windows closed. In my back yard I could even hear the actual words when they were just talking and not singing. I have no problem with music downtown which is closer to my house than Chrome so obviously the sound system this concert used was "overkill". I felt sorry for people living closer to Chrome that had small children as I can't even imagine the annoyance they felt.

[Richard Swearingen]

@ sarah - your comment that the music wasn't an issue close by is in line with my theory that the issue wasn't necessarily so much with the volume from the sound system as it was with acoustics and physics of that corridor of buildings along walnut and beyond. I think it just carried the sound so far...maybe even amplified it. I don't know. But it was nuts.

I'm all for open air concerts, too...but late on a weeknight doesn't seem like a good idea at all.