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On road to a quiet death

As the battle over noise at the arena drags on, the venue's ability to book artists is likely to be dragged down.

By JAY CRIDLIN
Published February 26, 2005

John Snelling is no stranger to hard rock.

He sings and plays guitar for a Tampa band, Mobius Loop. He has attended more than 400 concerts in his lifetime, including plenty by heavy metal stalwarts Korn.

And this aficionado says he thought Korn's Dec. 7 show at the Ford Amphitheatre was kind of lame.

"It was amusing, actually," said Snelling, 33. "I've seen Korn 10 times now, and that's definitely the lowest I've ever seen."

It's part of the fallout of the ongoing legal battle over the amount of noise blasting from the amphitheater.

In the past half year, more than 170 nearby residents have complained about concert noise, spawning a lawsuit by the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission that could force amphitheater owner Clear Channel Entertainment to scrap all upcoming events until it can guarantee quieter, less disruptive shows.

Since then, Snelling and others have complained about watered-down acoustics, which amphitheater officials say could ultimately impede their ability to draw A-list performers.

When the legal wrangling is over, fans wonder, will it still be worth shelling out as much as $90 for a ticket to a concert that might not live up to expectations?

"What if you were sitting in the lawn?" said Rachel Gillett, 29, who attended shows by Sting and Norah Jones, two softer concerts that still violated noise standards. "It's bad enough that you can't see. If you can't hear, what's the point of being there?"

At $79 for reserved seats, today's sold-out Jimmy Buffett concert is one of the venue's most expensive tickets.

"Whether you're paying $20 or $200 to go to a concert, you want to hear that music in the best possible sound that exists," said Harry Fink, founder of the Tampa Bay Parrot Heads in Paradise Club, a Jimmy Buffet appreciation organization. "You go to a concert, you expect to hear the absolute best quality that can be played. Certainly, for an amphitheater, cranking it up is part of it."

Clear Channel has countersued the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, asking that amphitheater concerts be exempt from a noise ordinance it calls unconstitutional. "So far, artists are enthusiastic about coming to Tampa," amphitheater executive director Ed Morrell said in a statement. "However, if EPC enforcement is too stringent, we may have challenges booking acts in the future."

Many performers prefer outdoor amphitheaters - or "sheds," as they're known in the concert industry - to indoor arenas. Ozzy Osbourne, for example, brought his Ozzfest tour to the fairgrounds last summer; it was his first local stop since 2001, largely because no other outdoor venue suited his needs.

Will a metal-fest like Ozzy's return if bands are told they'll have to turn down the volume? Not likely, says promoter John "Jack" Bodziak, owner of St. Petersburg's Jannus Landing, which faced noise complaints in the late '80s and early '90s. Some performers may play the USF SunDome or St. Pete Times Forum; others may not return at all.

"In this day and age, a lot of the music that comes down the pike is alternative rock - that's the hot music right now," Bodziak said. "You're going to get a large amount of groups that the Ford Amphitheatre is just not going to be able to (accommodate) because of this. It's a shame."

Bodziak, who has promoted concerts for Clear Channel, said he believes the amphitheater has already siphoned business from rival venues like Vinoy Park on the St. Petersburg waterfront. Those outdoor concert promoters, he said, won't shed a tear if the amphitheater loses concerts because of the noise complaints.

This isn't the first time a Tampa Bay area concert venue has drawn complaints.

In 2003, a rap concert featuring 50 Cent at Vinoy Park - a show organized by Bodziak - drew the ire of downtown St. Petersburg residents. Many in Clearwater have complained about noise levels at Coachman Park during events like the annual Next Big Thing rock festival.

Often, though, those complaints focused on the performers' obscene language and lyrics, not the volume of their speakers.

At Next Big Thing, for example, Clearwater officials monitor sound levels 100 feet from the Coachman Park stage to make sure the volume does not exceed 90 decibels. Such volume spikes are rare, said city events specialist Brian Craig. When they occur, it's easy to lower the volume, since the concert sound technicians are hired by the city.

Compare that to the amphitheater's most recent Korn concert in December. At one point, EPC officials recorded a noise level of 90.6 decibels - between 25 and 35 decibels above the accepted limit - in the Stanley Estates subdivision across Interstate 4, thousands of feet from the amphitheater.

EPC investigator Marvin Blount said that while the county has cited other venues, such as Skipper's Smokehouse, for noise problems, none have resulted in as many complaints or as long an investigation as the Ford Amphitheatre.

Yet music fans say the venue pales in comparison to others around the state. Snelling recently saw metal bands Slayer and Slipknot perform at an amphitheater in Buffalo, N.Y. - a concert he said was "10 times louder" than the bands' appearance at Ozzfest in the Ford Amphitheatre.

Of the Tampa Ozzfest show, Snelling said: "I called my wife during Judas Priest and said, "Can you believe Judas Priest is playing right now and I'm talking on my cell phone?' It was like it was playing in the background on your stereo at home."

Times researcher Mary Mellstrom contributed to this report. Jay Cridlin can be reached at 727 893-8336 or cridlin@sptimes.com

[Last modified February 26, 2005, 01:14:15]