Published: My Bluesfest Letter

My letter to the editor was published in today’s Ottawa Citizen! Nanny Ruth, Spec-writer for many years, would be proud!

I will try and scan a copy this weekend considering the print version is awesome…I was the largest article on the page and there was a picture with it as well!

But I am posting my original unedited article for you all to read here, as faithful readers of Palmer’s World. I enjoyed my comment about OC Transpo, but they had to cut it out due to length.

Also, I hope you enjoy the little tease about rock etiquette…as you may or may not know, I’m working on a book about the subject.

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Re: Bigger, hotter, quieter, tastier, July 19.
I was surprised to read in Lynn Saxberg’s excellent write-up of Bluesfest that fans at the Santana concert were reminded about the policy regarding folding up their lawn chairs during the concert for safety reasons.
While I cannot say that I am able to find this policy anywhere on the Ottawa Cisco Bluefest website, I must applaud the organizers for creating it.
I’m not sure if Mark Monahan and the other organizers of Bluesfest lose sleep over the never-ending lawn chair debate, but I feel that this policy is a fair one and encourages a few key points:
Safety – When you have 35,000 people attending a concert, it is quite alarming when you come upon a cluster of lawn chairs that forms a barrier. This creates heavy congestion, which has led to tripping, bruises and heated debates. In fact, I would be interested to hear from a paramedic as to whether it’s easier to get through a crowd of people who are standing or a crowd of people sitting in lawn chairs.
Personal Space – It is one thing to stand up and move around a little to the music, but it’s quite another to set up your lawn chair, sit in it until show time, and then leave it unfolded while you stand in front of it. It’s true that we would all love to have a little personal space within a crowd of music lovers, but it is common courtesy to share the same amount of space. If it helps, a person should just imagine that they are on the OC Transpo bus during rush hour but with the delight of Santana playing on the bus for them!
Proper Rock Etiquette – While there isn’t any proof of this, I have a feeling that many bands prefer to see people stand up during a concert instead of sitting there quietly!
While I am making light of the situation with my last comment, I do not see a problem with festival-goers bringing their lawn chairs to relax in during the better part of the day/evening. I have friends who do this and I am fine with it. But as soon as the event starts, they have the courtesy to stand up and fold up their lawn chair and place it in front of them. They are conscious of the fact that they may be impeding crowd movement (and, in the worst case scenario, paramedics coming through the crowd) and they want to ensure that everyone is having a good time at the festival.
If the organizers of the world-class Bluesfest decide to post this policy on their website in the future, I will be the first in line to agree with it. It promotes an atmosphere of safety and fun at a good old blues festival. Isn’t that what we are all there for?
By the way, two thumbs up to the organizers of Bluefest 2010. Once again, you have outdone yourselves.
Bravo.

iplaying: Stand-down at Sundown – Matt Mays + El Torpedo