Concerts become calmer

Drop in attendance at series means fewer complaints from neighbors, arts commission is told.Efforts to tone down the summer Concerts in the Park series have paid off, with fewer attendees and virtually no complaints, cultural arts manager Sian Poeschl told the arts commission at a recent meeting.

The 22-year-old outdoor concert series, held primarily at Bluebird Park, has traditionally drawn between 950 and 1,100 music lovers to each performance.

Last year, resident complaints of noise and parking problems prompted the council to demand changes to address the neighborhood concerns.

The 2005 Concerts in the Park series ran from July 24 to Sept. 11.

“The City Council asked that the concerts not be advertised; we adhered to that,” Poeschl said. “We also adhered to all requirements -- noise levels, different styles of music and one less concert at Bluebird Park. I received not one complaint.”

Poeschl reported that the decibel levels also met city requirements, never exceeding 70 decibels at the perimeter of the park.

Poeschl noted in her reports that 750 was the average attendance at each concert. The lowest attendance was 450, counted at Riddle Park, said arts commissioner Nancy Beverage.

The commission also distributed an updated audience questionnaire in accordance with the council’s request for 2005. The survey was distributed at concerts on July 1, Aug. 7 and Aug. 28, and 219 were completed.

Of the respondents:

* 165 attendees lived in Laguna Beach;

* 147 attended concerts with family and 158 with friends;

* rock ‘n’ roll was the preferred music, with 172 backers; blues was second at 152, followed by swing at 100 and Latin at 96;

* 203 people thought the concerts should be at Bluebird Park, 21 at Riddle Field and 14 at Moulton Meadows;

* 132 attended six to eight concerts during the 2005 season, 63 attended three to five and 17 went to one or two;

* 115 respondents said there should be 10 concerts a season, 73 said eight and 18 said six;

* 167 surveyed wanted the concerts to be in July and August, whereas 107 preferred August and September; and

* 163 drove to the concerts and 88 walked.