There was a great turnout for the Tift Merrit concert at Greenfield Lake on Sunday. I had never actually heard of Tift Merritt before Elizabeth posted here that she was getting tickets but I'm always up for something new. So I hauled the kids out there on our first Sunday back from vacation in crisp and cool Northern California. We aren't quite re-acclimated to the heat here yet. But judging from the river of sweat, the cranky patrons, and the unbelievably long line at the concession stand, I don't think I was the only one who found sitting in the sun at 3pm on a hot and steamy day in August uncomfortable. And that brings me to the line at the concession stand.
It was beyond a long a line. It was a completely broken system. It wasn't the only broken system of the night either. But let's start there. Outside food (even water) wasn't allowed and it was way hot so my dutiful husband Dan got in that line the minute we got there. And that's where he stayed for the entire first act. I sent the kids to visit him. But he completely missed the terrific Chatham County Line—the band [pictured—(picture credit and $5 go to my 9-year old for that shot) that opened for Tift Merritt. And these guys were great! I am a frail creature, sensitive to sun and heat, and I was being baked and steamed alive during their act but I still enjoyed these guys.
Tift was also delightful. The music was fun and she was a gracious and beautiful creature. She was so gracious in fact that—even though she was "glistening" profusely—she thanked—abundantly—the sound guy AFTER he shut her vocals off completely in the middle of a song. We could see she was singing…but: No sound. That was only the worst of the things he did to this hard-working band in the course of the evening. He also shut down at least one guitar solo. Maybe it wasn't his fault? Maybe it was an equipment problem? It was bad enough that someone should have apologized or something. No one said a word.
The part the kids liked best of this evening, though, was when the cockroaches and frogs fled the sewer system—in advance of the overflowing sewage. That was right before the toilets started overflowing but we were fleeing the area by then.
I think some people may have complained to The Penguin about the failure of services at this sold-out concert because Dan—our ticket buyer and concession waiter—got this unsolicited email from the radio station:
Hello All,
We want to say Thank You So Much for attending our 5 year anniversary party. Chatham County Line and Tift Merritt were honored that so many of you attended! As We're sure you noticed, the concessions area was quite an issue. Being the first large concert there, it is safe to say that the City, nor The Penguin were prepared in that department...For that we apologize. On the bright side, the few kinks we did experience will easily be avoided at the next concerts we host. For example, we will have a beer truck solely dedicated to serving you the fastest and coldest Beer possible. We will have separate coolers for the sole purpose of vending H20. That will leave the concessions area free to serve Food and non-alcoholic beverages only. We will be improving in a few other areas as well. If you would like to drop us a line with your suggestions, please feel free to do so.
We were truly honored you all stopped by. Cheers to the future!
Sincerely,
Beau Gunn and the rest of The Penguin Crew
Dan loves to complain. So he responded to that letter. I can't print his letter here because this is a family site. So I'll summarize: He pointed out the sound problems and the hot and sunny start time. He got an immediate response from the Penguin, which is admirable. Apparently the show started in the heat of the day because the crickets and frogs like the cool of the evening too and they were likely to drown out this rock concert. Gotta love nature! And the sound problems? Those will be dealt with for future shows, we are assured.
Okay, I've complained. Would I go again? I would--though maybe not in August. Greenfield Lake is a STUNNING place to see a show. The new facilities are super nice and I'm an optimist. I believe the city will eventually get it all working all at the same time.
Oh, how lovely to read your opinion on the concert....I'm not one to complain either, but it is refreshing to know someone else feels the same about the show. Beyond the concession nightmare, and that it was a very hot afternoon, my largest complaint stems from the parts of the show that I couldn't HEAR! I've never whispered so much at an outdoor concert in my life.!! My husband and I have been making jokes about it all week.
ReplyDeleteWe are both very much involved in the music industry and have spoken with the Penguin about exploring other sound options for the future...I dunno, maybe a BIGGER P.A. and a few more speakers would help in the future...the equipment was shoddy and I'm not sure the sound guy had a choice. Surely those items would drown out the frogs and crickets so we could enjoy a nice afternoon show AFTER the sun passes behind that beautiful new amphitheater.
I really enjoyed reading your comment! It made me laugh. smiles.
I did have one question for the parents - would a night-time concert have kept you at home? Would you have brought your kids out if the show had started at, say, 8:00 and been over at 10:00 or 10:30? We've been having a little bit of a debate on that and wondered if perhaps having it in the afternoon, despite the heat and the sun, encouraged more families to come out?
ReplyDeleteAndie,
ReplyDeleteWhich would *you* prefer? ;)
If the concert had started at 8, we probably would not have come and we definitely wouldn't have brought our (3) kids (which might have made at least one patron happy...although she did choose to sit near us.)
We saw Tift at Kenan without the kids. And my husband saw her at the Laundro-Lounge, without me so I could stay home with the kids. For my kids, it was a fun event and they haven't stopped playing Tift's CD since then. And the venue is a lot more kid friendly than a lot of other music spots in town.
Despite the heat, I enjoyed the venue when you can enjoy a view of the lake. I grew up going to concerts at Red Rocks (Colo.), which were all day events. Concerts didn't start until dark, but you always wanted to be there before it got dark to enjoy the view and socialize...and work on your tan.
I would have preferred it if it started later, myself. It was painfully hot for the first 2 hours. The kids were miserable. I was miserable. I'm surprised no old people collapsed, actually. You couldn't get water or anything cool in under an hour and there were lots of oldsters in attendance. I had thought about inviting my mother but I'm glad I didn't. She would not have done well. It got comfortable when the sun moved off the seats at about 5:30 and everything improved from there.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are tweens so we would still have gone if it ended at 10..or even 11 if it wasn't a school night. When my kids were younger, I liked things that ended so that they fell asleep in the car on the way home and that was about 9 or 10 for us (8 on a school night.) But we went to things that ended later than that too if I felt it exposed the kids to culture they wouldn't otherwise see. Kids are great at falling asleep on the grass, especially if there is music. One of my favorite photos of my daughter is when she is 2 and sound asleep in her formal dress on the grass next to the band at a wedding in Italy. I realize not all parents/kids are that flexible.
So a later end time would not have kept us away.
Thanks for the feedback. Beau is talking about future events there, and looks like opinion is split down the middle - at least for you two. Elizabeth, we just got back from Denver - my brother and his wife live there and we all went to see Jack Johnson at Red Rocks. My first experience there and it was great. Of course, it's not as hot there as it is here, usually. (We had unseasonably cool weather while we were there anyway.)
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids, so my input doesn't count for that, but my preference, being an early-to-bedder, is always to have a concert end earlier, and I like daytime concerts for that reason. I hate the heat and the sun, but getting to be home and in bed by regular time usually wins out over my discomfort.