It's hard to go to a B-52's concert and not have fun, and tonight's gig at Stubb's was no exception. For a band that that is celebrating their 35th anniversary, they sound and look great, even if Fred isn't quite the dancer he was way back when they were just a "college" band out of Athens and I was a high school student hanging out Raul's and Club Foot.
It's hard to see the band and not reminisce over their long career arc. I still miss Ricky Wilson's distinctive surf twang, and though the 52's have done well in finding fill in's, there won't ever truly be a replacement. If we are really, really lucky we will get to see the B-52's for a few more years before they retire like their compatriots from Athens, R.E.M.
New York City's thrash metal masters Anthrax, with frontman Joey Belladona and Scott Ian, brought their tour to the brand new Emo's East, a huge(by club standards) new music venue that occupies the former Back Room location on East Riverside.
I don't know if the show sold out or not, but it was packed with fans of Austin's metal scene, including 101x's "No Control" Chuck Loesch looking like the notorious Viking Erik the Red with his infamous flowing red beard.
With supporting acts Death Angel and Testament opening this was a great thrash metal warm up for this Sundays Slayer gig at Auditorium Shores. For the complete Anthrax/Testament tour schedule check out http://anthrax.com
With a set that was as fast as it was loud and frantic, Death Angel's frontman Mark Osegueda's natty dreads were mostly a blur as he dashed around Emo's stage. Opening for thrash legends Testament and Anthrax, the Concord, California's based band is trying hard to show the old school some new tricks and are doing a damn good job. For more Death Angel info see http://deathangel.us
Prehistoric sludge metal band Mastodon filled up and sold out Austin's La Zona Rosa and then proceeded to trample the audience with heavy bass lines and wandering guitar rifts.
Their current North American tour continues on through November, ending in Atlanta on December 2nd. The break will be short with the band back on the road January 11th, in Europe. For tour info see mastodonrocks.com
L.A. based Weird Al Yankovic brought banjos and accordions to the ACL Live stage last night, making up for a missed appearance at last years Fun Fun Fun Fest.
The audience was full of kids of all ages, regardless of actual age, and included long time Austin guitarist Eric Johnson, who watched on while Weird Al wheeled and reeled through a succession of his MTV hits at a frenetic pace.
Erasure. the English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell, made a long- long awaited, anticipated, and overdue, return to Austin, playing to a sold out audience at ACL Live at the Moody Theater on an elaborate stage that included gargoyles and steel cages.
Erasure's U.S. tour began in August in Tampa and will finish in Seattle on October 6 before heading back to start a European tour in November. Click here for more pics of Erasure .
I don't usually cover D.J.s but deadmau5 isn't really your ordinary D.J. and his shows are more than just a rave or dance party . His stop last night at the Austin Music Hall was no exception.
With a light show that would make Pink Floyd envious, a list of guest D.J.s that included Motley Crues Tommy Lee, and a walk on vocal performance by Sofi the show was more like a full blown concert event than a rave. deadmaus5 is partying again tonight at the Music Hall but this show is sold out.
With the City of Austin's surrounding areas recovering from a devastating outbreak of wildfires, and with the threat of more fires undiminished, the City of Austin is gearing up for it's 10th ACL Festival in Austin's Zilker Park this weekend. Held in the greenbelt area of the park known as "The Great Lawn" and surrounded by live oaks and other trees, an estimated 70,000-100,000 people will attend some or all of this weekends Festival, either as concert-goers or as staff. Even though thousands of gallons of water from Lake Austin have helped keep Zilker green during the drought, City and Park officials this week are making a huge effort to remind Festival goers that smoking has been banned in all City of Austin parks due to the extreme wildfire hazard, and that does include Zilker Park during this weekends ACL Festival.
We had a chance to discuss safety and security during the ACL Festival with the City of Austin's Parks Department Special Events Coordinator Jason Maurer and Victor Ovalle from the City's Public Information Office, and what they told us was both reassuring and somewhat disconcerting. While the City has gone to great lengths to make sure everyone has a safe and fun show, and a tremendous number of City agencies, from police, fire and EMS to event code enforcement are involved in the safety planning and execution, most of the burden of the safety and security for the event rests in the hands of the event promoters, C3 Presents, who declined to participate in this article. Additionally security and safety information, including emergency exit information, was unavailable due to Homeland Security restrictions.
In events such as these an event promoter, in this case C3 Presents, leases a park from the City of Austin for a certain period of time subject to certain restrictions and with a number of requirements, including an event safety plan. Once the promoters lease on the park starts it is much like a renting an apartment, everything beyond the doorway is the renters responsibility and the property owner, in this case the City of Austin, can only enter the property under specific terms during that period. In layman's terms, from Festival setup through breakdown, the City Park becomes private property of C3 Presents.
City planning for the event occurs year round and involves everything from closing streets and re-routing traffic to food safety and other safety and emergency concerns. Every department involved in the ACL Festival, which is just about every department it seems, "has a role at the table" in the regular planning meetings with all departments serving as part of an "infinite command" model according to Ovalle. These plans include the regular day to day activity plans, traffic plans, weather plans, and disaster plans. These departments work and coordinate with C3 Presents to develop these plans and at the end of the day everyone involved has to sign off on the plans developed with or presented by C3 for the festival to occur.
The City of Austin will maintain a command post on-site and in the event of a disaster has the ability and authority to call in first responders, take over festival operations, and shut down or evacuate the event should something catastrophic occur as part of the "Infinite Command" model BUT the City does not maintain an official police, fire, or medical presence on site. Those services are provided by the concert promoter and its various contractors, such as W3 Event Security and others. Many of these contractors include local off-duty fire and police members and other first responders, some do not, employing contractors with specialized training and certifications in some roles, little or basic training in others depending on the requirements of the role. City of Austin staff and first responders will be working OUTSIDE the event, but not on the park grounds itself. Due to Homeland Security restrictions the City of Austin was unable to provide us with an exact number of security and safety staff on-site in the plan submitted by C3, however they stated it was well above 100. Nationwide law enforcement statistics show that staffing levels are usually 2 per 1000 people, so a rough estimate of people who could be considered as "first responders' would be between 140 to 200 people on site. We don't know how many there actually are.
In the event of an emergency, the large video screens will be utilized to direct the audience, with a variety of crowd control messages already queued up for use as needed. The huge speaker systems will also be used to direct the crowd as needed. City officials will NOT be relying on or broadcasting SMS instant messaging or "Tweeting" due to the unreliability of electronic communications in events of this nature. Having suffered through AT&T through several SXSW events I can confirm and attest to that unreliability. While C3 Presents may utilize electronic messaging resources, they were unavailable to comment. In the event of a catastrophic nature the City will take over the direction of the crowd and has that ability from the command center.
In terms of exits, the event is designed to have 2 main entrances and exits, both appearing as entrances on the rudimentary maps published by the ACL Festival itself. According to City officials emergency exits do exist and will be plainly marked, though they were unable to provide us with locations or photographs, nor were they able to allow us to take photographs, as that would require permission from C3, which we have been unable to obtain as they have declined to participate. The event itself will be enclosed in a single or double chain link fence. The City has stated that numerous sections of the fence are removable and have been notated on their maps as "Emergency Exits", but again were unable to provide details due to Homeland Security issues and such details do not appear in the map provided on the ACL Festival web site.
According to Ovalle and Maurer the portable stages used at ACL Festival, and at other events on City of Austin property, are the responsibility of the promoters, again C3 Presents. The City of Austin does not have specific code or standards regarding the construction or erection of portable stages, and thus no City of Austin Code Enforcement or Fire official inspect the numerous stages before, during, or after the event. The stages are supposed to be constructed as per the manufacturers specifications and certified as such by the constructor to the promoter. In the end any responsibility for the safe construction and erection of, or inspection of, portable stages is solely C3 Presents and the various contractors supplying it with services.
The City wants people to have a safe and fun concert and they want everyone to remember to bring important things such as medications and sunscreen, and to stay hydrated which will be important in this heat. And, of course, no smoking!
After C3 Presents declined to participate in our article about concert safety at their ACL Festival event in Austin, two weeks ago we went in search of someone at the City of Austin's Information Office. After a few days we received a response from Jason Maurer Sales and Events Manager in the Office of Special Events at the Austin Parks and Recreation Department who indicated he would be happy to answer our questions and arrange a conference call.
Last week we submitted the following questions, and as yet are still waiting on both a response and a conference call.
What City Agencies are involved in ACL Festival (or what aren't)?
Who is the overall head of the security and safety planning aspects of the ACL festival, both organization and name if possible?
What City Departments are involved with the safety and security aspects of the Event?
What City Permits are required to have the ACL event?
What City Permits are required to erect portable stages at ACL or any other event in the City of Austin?
What inspections of portable stages are required, made, and by who at ACL or any other event in the City of Austin?
Are events of this nature required to submit an overall safety plan for the event, and if so to who?
Does the Festival have a mass evacuation plan?
In the event of a disaster requiring evacuation of the park facility, who would be in charge on scene?
How many first responders will be on site for the event?
Are there plans in place for a multi-casualty disaster that eclipses their capabilities or resources to respond on site?
Have the first responders or private security and medical agencies received specific instruction or training on a mass casualty situation at this event?
Access to/from the event is very controlled both by nature of the event and the geographic nature of the park. The map provided on ACL Festivals web site is not very clear or specific about exits. Even a $29.00 hotel has to provide a map of their exits to their customers. How will exit information be communicated?
How many regular exits does the park venue have that are public accessible?
How many emergency exits does the park have that are accessible to anyone?
How is the event planning on communicating emergency information to it's audience should a disaster occur?
We have further questions as well, we hope to get the opportunity to ask them.
It was a cold night in West Warwick, Rhode Island, just above freezing, when the crowd made their way into The Station nightclub. Just another tour stop for the evening's headlining band, Great White, the night would end in a disaster unparalleled in rock and roll history when a quick moving fire ignited by the band's pyrotechnics swept through the packed club in just 5½ minutes. When the cold morning light came the death toll would climb to 100 - concertgoers, workers, and members of the band and crew.
Another 230 were injured, many of them critically. It was only after this disaster that the hard questions were asked, too late for the families of the dead and injured.
In the ensuing investigations many people were faulted, including the City's fire inspectors, with the club owners, and Great White's tour manager serving prison sentences. The investigation revealed how tragically critical the crushing stampede for the main exit was. Although there were four possible exits, most patrons headed for the front door and the stampede quickly blocked the exit resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
This week will be interviewing some survivors of The Station fire, talking about what happened during and after the fire, about how a concert forever changed their lives in just 5½ minutes, and about just how important it is to know where all the exits are. When it comes time it could be a matter of life or death.
It is important to know where all the exits are, unfortunately none of the ACL Festival maps that we could find include that information. The stampede to the main exit at The Station contributed greatly to the toll of dead and injured, and at that concert out of 458 people in attendance, 100 died. Most people attending the ACL Festival will only be aware of the main entrance as well, certainly without a better map, and there will be close to 100,000 people in attendance.
Just to update: we were promised a conference call by the City of Austin but that has not occurred as yet, and they have not responded to the questions that we forwarded them. Should either happen we will post it here. We have heard nothing further from our requests for information to C3 Presents since they declined to participate, but we will note that both entities have responded to requests for the same information by the Austin American Statesman, although we asked prior. We hope that the Statesman has the follow through to do more than publish a one of article full of sound bytes and softball questions, since neither entity involved with the ACL Festival has responded to ours.
The associated press has posted an article stating that a another person has died of injuries sustained in the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair, making the stage collapse death toll now six.
Under pressure from the media Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has announced an independent investigation into the stage collapse in at the Stat Fair after questions were raised about the State Fair's ability to investigate itself and be forthcoming. To see all the news available on Google about the stage collapse in Indiana click here.
The death toll from the European concert tragedy in Belgium has risen to 5 and the Festival itself has been canceled as European music fans were stunned by the storm that also injured 150 on Thursday. Among the acts who had been scheduled to perform included the Foo Fighters, Eminem, and 30 Seconds to Mars. To see all the news on this tragedy from Google click here.
"Three different storms, three different cities – and, crucially, three different stages, built by different companies using different specs and different safety standards." An article by Steve Pond at TheWrap and posted through Reuters reports that there are no universal standards for concert stages. "These collapses highlight the fact that there are no enforced guidelines for temporary structures in the concert business," said Gary Bongiovanni, the publisher of the concert-industry trade journal Pollstar and quoted in the article. "There are some guidelines," "but they're voluntary. And it'll be hard to put enforced rules in place, because on a concert tour you're dealing with the local laws in every city."
We have contacted the City of Austin and when they respond some of our questions will be what are the rules and laws, what inspections are made and by who, and what permits are required to erect temporary stages at Austin events such as the upcoming ACL Festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest, and SXSW, all of which occur all or in part on City of Austin parkland and property.
Zilker Park is a City Of Austin owned and operated park that comprises over 350 acres of publicly owned land in the heart of south Austin. Named after its benefactor Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the land to the city in 1917, it was developed into the park by the Civilian Conservation Corps. during the Great Depression in the 1930s and many of it's structures and designs date from or are based on that era. In addition to the ACL Festival the park serves as a home for many recreational sports and activities and the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake, both of which run next to the park.
According to the city of Austin Parks Foundation web site the Soccer Fields in Zilker Park, where the Austin City Limits Music Festival takes place, was scheduled to be closed from January through June of 2009 for a complete revamping including installation of automatic irrigation, field leveling and resodding with grass. "The project will take 2-3 months to complete and then another 2-3 months to allow the grass to become established."
In the end the area referred too as the "Great Lawn" reopened in late August of 2009 after being closed for nearly a year during the $2.5 million renovation project.
In an agreement with the City Of Austin, C3 Presents, Austin City Limits Music Festival producers, donated funding for the improvements, including an irrigation system, drinking fountains and 46 acres of turf replacement to support use of the park.
That new sod was heavily damaged less than 2 months later during the 2009 ACL Festival event after sudden storms brewed up and soaked the festival, requiring replacement and repair of areas referred to as "mud pits" according to the Austin American Statesman. According to the newspaper the "weight of the 65,000 festival-goers each day pushed the mud up through the newly planted sod, which was drenched by Saturday rains" and "most of the grounds appeared to be covered with mud Monday".
But it wasn't all just mud, as the Festival had dumped 800 bales of hay during the weekend to try to absorb some of the moisture and it also contained Dillo Dirt, a fertilizer the city had laid down before the new grass was planted. Dillo Dirt is a compost the city makes from treated sewage sludge and yard trimmings collected curbside and the combination left festival goers a foul smelling mud caked mess. Luckily "It is commonly used in backyard gardening and poses no health threat" said Stuart Strong, assistant director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
Based on the photo map below (courtesy Google Maps), the toll taken by the subsequent 2010 ACL Festival and other concert and sports events as well as the severe and prolonged drought have left the park in rough shape.
The death of four more fans in yet another weather related festival catastrophe, this time in Belgium, just after a similar disaster in Indianapolis resulted in five deaths, and the stage collapse that narrowly missed killing the band Cheap Trick in Canada, have many fans and officials in North America and Europe beginning to question the safety plans, policies, and procedures at these sometimes massive events. Austin had one close call this year after a near disaster at Auditorium Shores during SXSW that already raised safety concerns locally and music fans in Austin will see another major festival in just a few weeks, with C3 Presents massive ACL Festival. Ticket holders may be wondering what steps and plans C3, the ACL Festival, and the City of Austin have for such an emergency.
