Ears still ringing from the Jazz Fest? Did the blues break your heart and give you a headache? Don't expect the city to do much about it. | "Noise levels are the responsibility of the promoter," says City spokesman Mike Keane. | The city issues permits for outdoor festivals within the city limits, but it doesn't routinely monitor noise levels. If someone complains that a band performing outdoors is too loud, the police may respond, Keane says. As for indoor volume, the city does little. | The city tried an experiment at one outdoor festival held downtown years ago: it limited performances to 90 decibels - the same volume typically given off by lawnmowers, shop tools, truck traffic, and the subway, says the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. City officials set up meters in the festival tent and continually measured the sound, Keane says. But complaints still came from as far away as the area around I-490 and Winton Road. | Since volume is often the price concertgoers pay to watch live music, maybe next year's hot festival accessory should be earplugs. After all, leading health agencies recommend hearing protection for prolonged exposure to loud noise.
Comments for "JAZZ FEST: Can you hear me now? " (1)
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Bob DeYager said on Jul. 02, 2009 at 7:35pm
There's got to be an understanding here. Live music has to be loud, it is SUPPOSED to be loud. Great efforts go into making it sound this way. There is nothing worse than straining to hear a band while at a show.... especially after cranking up the CD in your car on the way there. Every note should ring out loud and clear. The Jazz Festival is but one of many excellent live events that occur annually in the Downtown area. There is no reason to complain about it. In fact, these complaints are ridiculous. Too much loud music at the Jazz Festival? It is akin to someone calling and complaining to the City of Rochester about the smell of lilacs giving them a headache during the Lilac Festival...... it is laughable and absurd! There is a huge demand for these concerts to continue and I believe they will only grow in size and popularity. The City of Rochester should ignore the complaints, because the benefits FAR outweigh the negatives. Besides, there are 51 other weeks in the year to behave like over-zealous librarians. If anything, the concerts need to be bigger, better, longer and LOUDER! Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, and thanks to the City of Rochester for hosting another amazing year of live music.
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