NORTH TONAWANDA
Officials seek to bring back free concerts
NORTH TONAWANDA — City leaders say they are still committed to filling Gateway Harbor Park with the sounds of a free summer concert series next year, despite everything that went wrong in 2008.
Just this week, promoter Vincent Lesh of Concerts Plus of Western New York announced the cancellation of the series’ final two shows of the season. One of those concerts, a performance by Loverboy, was supposed to happen tonight.
In the wake of what turned out to be crushing blows — the promoters’ loss of their beer permit after being caught serving alcohol to minors, and Labatt USA cutting ties with the organizers of the Saturday night events — officials said they want to save the music.
“The concerts will go on,” Mayor Lawrence V. Soos said Friday. Two bartenders were charged with selling alcohol to minors following a police sting at the July 26 concert. The State Liquor Authority then halted alcohol sales in the middle of the Aug. 2 show.
In a July 31 letter revoking JMD of WNY Inc.’s temporary beer and wine permit, the authority’s Deputy Commissioner Kerri J. O’Brien said two police decoys under age 21 bought beverage tickets at a ticket booth. The decoys, who were denied wrist bands that would have allowed them to purchase alcohol, then each bought a beer in separate lines.
On Aug. 6, Labatt USA, the event’s main sponsor, announced it was canceling its contract, effective immediately, with promoters. The company had already paid the sponsorship fee up front, but wanted “to send a clear message to all those involved that Labatt USA won’t support or be associated with events that don’t have the proper procedures in place to prevent underage drinking,” President Glen Walter said in a statement.
One Common Council member, 3rd Ward Alderwoman Nancy A. Donovan, wants the city’s legislative branch to start talking about what needs to happen in order for the free series to continue in 2009.
Those conversations need to happen sooner than later, Donovan told The Buffalo News.
The city signed a three-year deal with Concerts Plus in February, much later than the parties involved would have preferred.
The previous promoter, Kathy Paradowski of Canal Concert Series, announced in December she was taking her shows to Lockport.
This year’s problems with the beer sales permit and the sponsor cutting ties weren’t the first hiccups experienced by the North Tonawanda promoters.
The July 26 show was supposed to feature Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, but promoters ran into problems when it was announced Jett had scheduled a performance for Friday night at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls.
First Ward Alderman Dennis M. Pasiak said his biggest concern is landing a serious sponsor for next year’s concerts.
“We need somebody willing to take a chance,” Pasiak said.
Soos said he plans to speak with Concerts Plus owner Vincent Lesh in the near future.
Several attempts by The News to contact Lesh on Friday were unsuccessful.
Other free concerts in the park scheduled for Wednesday and Friday evenings will go on, as will the planned “Fan The Flame” Christian music concert on Sun-day.
