Is Luke Bryan responsible for Fans Behavior in Pittsburgh? | 229
Through and through, I am a Pittsburgher. You only need to glance around my workplace to realize that. Since I am not only from Pittsburgh but also work in Nashville’s music industry, I felt a bit compelled to ask some questions following this past weekend’s Luke Bryan event that left a terrible mess at the venue. Please bear with me as I put this in its proper perspective.
If you’re not from Pittsburgh, Heinz Field, where the Steelers play, is located across the river from the city’s center at the meeting place of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers. It’s a lovely region that is ideal for summer events since it can accommodate boat traffic, foot traffic, and automobile traffic. The Big Stadium has an attractive open end that faces Mount Washington and the city. As a result of the river’s horseshoe shape, listeners on both sides of the river and across it frequently have free access. The city takes great pleasure in this region and strives extremely hard to overcome its reputation as an untidy industrial city.
Country music superstar Kenny Chesney visited Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field last summer as part of his Barefoot Nation Tour. It resulted in 150 persons receiving treatment for various conditions, 49 arrests, and 30 tons of trash being left in the parking lots due to tailgating.
medical demands. 45 other persons were also transported to medical institutions. (source)
The Outrage prompted other individuals to demand that Chesney be banned and even gave rise to a Facebook page with over 7,000 likes.
medical demands. 45 other persons were also transported to medical institutions. (source)
The Outrage prompted other individuals to demand that Chesney be banned and even gave rise to a Facebook page with over 7,000 likes.
In 2014, another celebrity Luke Bryan is planned to play at the same location, although following last year’s event, the city implemented certain regulations. Like don’t use the restroom in the parking lot and leave your couch at home. What the majority of decent people wouldn’t do, to begin with.
Well, Saturday came and went, and once again, inebriated people wandered into the performance and wrecked the parking lots.
According to Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, the expenses had reached “Tens of thousands of dollars” despite the absence of an official garbage tally. And he said that he isn’t paying for it.
The ongoing devastation of our city must end; enough is enough.
Our whole tri-state area depends on Pittsburgh as its cultural and economic hub, and holding concerts there is a longstanding tradition. But there is no justification for making city taxpayers pay for excessive quantities of rubbish cleanup and public safety response for huge events like the one Saturday on the North Shore.
More than 300 occurrences connected to the performance were attended to by public safety personnel.
In addition to making at least seven arrests, breaking up 15 fights, and responding to 154 911 calls, Pittsburgh Police also issued 37 non-traffic penalties (20 for scalping, 10 for public urination, 6 for disorderly conduct, and one for public drunkenness). 34 patients were transported to hospitals by city medics in response to 100 calls to 311.
Starting at 11 a.m. yesterday, Public Works crews cleaned the area throughout the day. A crew also worked overnight to clean the streets, flush toilets, and empty trash cans. On Sunday morning, it was still collecting trash from riverboat users.
The city will invoice individuals accountable for these service fees, including promoters, and hold them accountable.
We’ve worked too hard to improve Pittsburgh’s quality of life for anyone to get away with trashing it. While acknowledging the financial advantages such sizable events bring to our publicly owned facilities, my administration will look at other measures to hold promoters more accountable for these expenses and repercussions.
To put things in context, CMA Fest, an annual event hosted in Nashville, paid $15,000 in 2012 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), and it was held over a number of days with the same restrictions.
Is it the music-created culture? Perhaps exaggerated television programs like “Party Down South” or “Buckwild” are to blame. However, Pittsburghers are directly criticizing country music artists and fans. More than the actual music, the performances these days are about drinking, partying, and tailgating. Many contend that prohibiting this would require limiting parking lot hours to two hours before to the performance. But will that actually deter people from attending or even from drinking and driving?
Not only Luke, Kenny, or even country music is at issue here; should any artist be held accountable for the actions of their fans?
The question should thus be answered. Who is accountable: the performer, the promoter, the location, or the audience? How can you prevent it from happening again?