Mile High Music and Arts Festival

I had no idea this was going on, but it sounds pretty close.

AEG LIVE RESPONDS TO CONCERNS RAISED BY ZOO STAFF ABOUT CITY PARK AS THE VENUE FOR PROPOSED MUSIC FESTIVAL

Denver, CO — AEG Live’s Rocky Mountain Division announced Thursday that the worldwide concert promotion company will be exploring alternative locations for the proposed Mile High Music and Arts Festival at City Park. This news comes as a result of emails sent Tuesday by Craig Piper, the President and CEO of the Denver Zoo, to AEG Live and City officials stating he is, “unable to endorse the proposed music festival in City Park.”

“It saddens me to have to explore alternative sites. The residents of the City Park area have been wonderful to work with and representatives from the City have been very open to our proposal. The music festival itself would’ve raised millions of dollars for this beautiful park and the surrounding neighborhoods. Having began dialogue with the Zoo staff in early September, it is extremely disappointing they’ve waited this long to announce their position. We have said from day one that unless the Zoo blesses the event, we cannot have the festival in this location,” said Chuck Morris, President and CEO of AEG Live’s Rocky Mountain Division.

AEG Live staff met with Denver Zoo staff at the beginning stages of their festival planning effort. Major concerns about sound levels were not relayed by Zoo staff to festival promoters until late November. AEG Live immediately responded to their concerns by presenting information and research on how the festival organizers can work with the Zoo to mitigate potential negative impacts to the animals. This work included hiring an acoustical engineer to study projected sound levels at the Zoo’s property line.

AEG Live also brought in Howard Pollack, the promoter of the Oklahoma City Zoo Music Series, to meet with Zoo officials in early December. Mr. Pollack has been promoting shows at the Oklahoma City Zoo for over 20 years and his concerts, which include all day music festivals, are limited to 95 decibel levels at the zoo’s property line. According to Pollack and top Okalahoma City Zoo staff, the Oklahoma City Zoo has never, in its 20 plus years of hosting shows, had a problem with animal safety.

“Although we felt the information provided to the Zoo staff was satisfactory, unfortunately, our research did not satisfy their concerns. We felt we had done our due diligence, and that information reflected that a festival in City Park could take place. However, when Craig Piper notified City officials and our office on Tuesday about his position not to endorse the festival, we decided to explore other sites. Even though we are more than surprised by the timing of his decision, we will abide by it and respect his authority,” said Morris.

AEG Live will take the next month to look at the feasibility of other sites for the 2008 inaugural festival. “It is our preference to keep the festival in Denver, but we will look at many alternatives,” said Morris.

The proposed Mile High Music and Arts Festival is a two-day music and arts festival which will be held the weekend of July 19-20, 2008. Performers will entertain on five stages, including a kids’ stage which will feature family oriented music and activities. This model has proven to be extremely successful in cities around the nation like Austin, Chicago, and Los Angeles, with examples closer to home like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and KBCO World Class Rockfest in Winter Park. AEG Live owns and operates the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans and the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California.