March 15, 2004
Council calls for censorship
Last November, St. Pete residents got all in a tither over the fact that the city itself had not only allowed but encouraged thousands of people to come to Vinoy park for a concert, one of 15 held at the park last year. Many nearby residents said that the music was too loud and overly offensive.
Funny thing, though: when the annual Blues Festival is held at Vinoy over three days, it attracts more people each day than that controversial one day event. Bigger crowds. More congestion. Loud music. A whole weekend of activities, but no publicized complaints.
Now John Claude Bodziak, the same promoter who brought in rapper 50 Cent in November, is asking to use the park for the Vans Warped Tour, a collection of punk and alternative bands presented carnival-like over the course of a day, and the St. Pete City Council is seriously considering denying his request based on the types of acts which are involved in the tour.
Promoter John Claude Bodziak, 31, went before the council March 4 to ask permission to bring the tour to St. Petersburg. After arguing for more than an hour, council members told Bodziak they needed more information before his request would be considered. They are expected to vote Thursday.3 (sic) The objections varied. Some members felt Bodziak hadn't followed the proper procedures for approval. Council member Rene Flowers said it was time to limit the number of concerts held at Vinoy. And council member John Bryan wanted to enforce stricter standards regarding the type of act allowed in the park."We want to make sure the concerts we hold in our downtown park system are somewhat wholesome and family-oriented," Bryan said.
Just wondering: would that include wholesome Jimmy Buffet singing about smuggling drugs and getting drunk and screwing, or perhaps those wholesome blues musicians with their songs about drugs and drinking and fucking, but not 5o cent with his songs about exactly the same subjects? Could that be because the Blues Fest draws a a mostly middle aged mostly white crowd - very non-threatening, at least for the mostly white and middle aged residents of the area around Vinoy park?
The scrutiny comes after an October appearance by the Urban Car Show tour, featuring rapper 50 Cent. The event, also promoted by Bodziak, was cosponsored by the city of St. Petersburg and drew more than 5,300 people to the park.City Council members were flooded with calls and e-mails from residents offended by the volume of the music and vulgar lyrics. At its next meeting, the council asked its legal department to explore ways to prevent similar scenarios.
Bodziak has apologized for the Urban Car Show, saying he didn't know the performers would be using so much profanity. But he said the Warped Tour, an all-day festival that celebrates the skater-punk lifestyle, is different.
Note to Bodziak: show the City Council pictures from last year’s tour. Make sure they notice that it’s mostly white kids. Avoid any close-ups of tattoos and piercings, as these can seem threatening to closed minds.
The event was in St. Petersburg last year and attracted about 7,500 people to Vinoy Park. Bodziak said the festival generated virtually no complaints.Uh, is this woman seriously trying to claim that traffic is not bad when other events are held at the park? Or is her real problem with whatever type of person she thinks she is seeing driving by her store?"I think a lot of cities would consider it a real feather in their cap to get this tour," Bodziak said.
But not everyone was pleased with last year's turnout.
Suzanne Fisher, past president of the Beach Drive Business Association and manager of Coplon's, said cars were so backed up that day patrons couldn't reach her store. She also said the concertgoers were loud and unruly.
"I had customers call and say, "I can't get there, the traffic is too bad. And I'm seeing the kind of people I'm seeing and I'm not going down there,' " Fisher said.
"Is this really the type of person we're trying to attract?" she added.
......Bryan thinks the city is obligated to ensure concerts in Vinoy Park are suitable for all ages. He suggested the Bayfront Center parking lot as a possible alternative for the Warped Tour and similar acts. The venue is close to the water but away from most downtown residences, Bryan noted.
Council member Jay Lasita strongly objected to Bryan's proposal and wondered who would judge whether an act is family-friendly.
"Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder," Lasita said. "What may be mainstream to you or me may not be mainstream to somebody else. ... Vinoy Park belongs to everybody. The other parks do, too."
Well, at least there’s one voice of reason on the council.
BlogWood post on the 50 Cent controversy in November.
Posted by Norwood at March 15, 2004 11:00 AM