No More Canalside Concerts? Where to next?

Upon hearing the news that every single Common Council member voted Yes in a resolution that declared “The Thursday night concert series should be moved away from Canalside,” we, like many others in the city, were a little shocked. The residents of the Marine Drive apartments have been complaining for years about the high level of noise, congestion of cars, and rowdy behavior from concert goers. At the same time, the rest of the region has been praising the event. The Thursday night concert series was a catalyst in getting people downtown to the waterfront and sparking the confidence needed for businesses to invest in the area as well. It can fit 15,000+ people. There are multiple points of entry and exit, parking, access to the water, a Metro Rail line, and gosh it’s just so damn beautiful down there.

Mayor Brown was in support of the resolution and suggested the concert be moved to Broderick Park, the Outer Harbor, or LaSalle Park. We decided to check out those locations for ourselves, and also suggest some other places we thought might work. If this resolution turns out to be more than hot air, we wanted to get the public discussion started on where might be a good place to go next. So we posted a photo of each location and got some really interesting feedback from you all on Saturday. You can check out our review of six locations below, and by clicking on our logo in the top left of each, you’ll be taken to our feed where you can review the comments and join in the conversation there, or on Facebook.

#thursdayatthe The Common Council had a unanimous resolution to move the Thursday night Canalside concert series away from Canalside due to noise and conduct complaints from neighbors. Although this is only a resolution, we're spending the day scouting the locations suggested by the mayor and ones we think might have potential if the series truly will be moved. Broderick Park, suggested by Mayor Byron Brown. While it could potentially fit the same sized crowd, less than half would be able to see the stage. And access to Unity Island is very limited. We invite your comments on why you do/don't think this space would work!

A photo posted by @risecollaborative on Oct 17, 2015 at 9:20am PDT

#thursdayatthe The Common Council had a unanimous resolution to move the Thursday night Canalside concert series away from Canalside due to noise and conduct complaints from neighbors. Although this is only a resolution, we're spending the day scouting the locations suggested by the mayor and ones we think might have potential if the series truly will be moved. Lasalle Park, suggested by Mayor Byron Brown. Plenty of room for a crowd, vendors, and already has a built-in stage. Access points are great for pedestrians and bikers, but lacking for cars. Would the same complaints potentially come from a new set of neighbors? We invite your comments on why you do/don't think this space would work!

A photo posted by @risecollaborative on Oct 17, 2015 at 9:44am PDT

#thursdayatthe The Common Council had a unanimous resolution to move the Thursday night Canalside concert series away from Canalside due to noise and conduct complaints from neighbors. Although this is only a resolution, we're spending the day scouting the locations suggested by the mayor and ones we think might have potential if the series truly will be moved. Father Conway Park. Large enough to fit crowds and vendors plus great access points for all modes of transportation. If we were unlucky enough to lose this park for a new Bills stadium, then maybe a feature of the stadium could be used for a summer concert series. We invite your comments on why you do/don't think this space would work!

A photo posted by @risecollaborative on Oct 17, 2015 at 10:02am PDT

#thursdayatthe The Common Council had a unanimous resolution to move the Thursday night Canalside concert series away from Canalside due to noise and conduct complaints from neighbors. Although this is only a resolution, we're spending the day scouting the locations suggested by the mayor and ones we think might have potential if the series truly will be moved. The Outer Harbor. Suggested by Mayor Byron Brown. You may have been to a concert here before. Beautiful sunsets on the water, tons and tons of space. Great shows. And then, holy shit it took you 2 hours to get out of there! We all remember that Tragically Hip rainstorm show… In our opinion, this option is only feasible after a pedestrian bridge is built to the inner harbor. Without that, forget it. We invite your comments on why you do/don't think this space would work!

A photo posted by @risecollaborative on Oct 17, 2015 at 10:28am PDT

#thursdayatthe The Common Council had a unanimous resolution to move the Thursday night Canalside concert series away from Canalside due to noise and conduct complaints from neighbors. Although this is only a resolution, we're spending the day scouting the locations suggested by the mayor and ones we think might have potential if the series truly will be moved. MLK Park. If you think Buffalo can make a complete rebound while continuing to leave the east side behind, you're wrong. The east side is beautiful, and the more you explore it, the more it will stay in your thoughts when considering the city's future. MLK Park has an incredible public space large enough for any crowd. This fountain is dry in the summer for splash pad, so it becomes your concert grounds. Public transportation and parking are limited, and the nagging issue of will neighbors complain about the noise does exist. We invite your comments on why you do/don't think this space would work!

A photo posted by @risecollaborative on Oct 17, 2015 at 10:43am PDT

#thursdayatthe The Common Council had a unanimous resolution to move the Thursday night Canalside concert series away from Canalside due to noise and conduct complaints from neighbors. Although this is only a resolution, we're spending the day scouting the locations suggested by the mayor and ones we think might have potential if the series truly will be moved. The Central Terminal. Our argument about embracing the east side stands. If all the talk about firing up the beltway rail line once again comes to fruition, this could be your most easily accessible location in the city. It has the space, the photogenic qualities, and it has hosted thousands for Halloween (please please bring those back by the way) and Dyngus Day celebrations. People come. They'll come again. We invite your comments on why you do/don't think this space would work!

A photo posted by @risecollaborative on Oct 17, 2015 at 11:07am PDT

We’d ask you to reserve your comments to our Facebook or Instagram posts for this particular blog. We’re not posting this asking you to debate the merits of the Marine Drive residents’ complaints. Instead, give your input into why or why not each location might work.

If you remain vehemently opposed to moving the shows out of Canalside, you’ve got to be just as loud as those who disagree with you. Here is the contact information for all of our elected representatives. If you live in the city, make sure your voter registration is your address in the city. With a registration in the city – you’ve got a stronger voice in this discussion. You can write to your representatives all the time, but if you feel they are not representing your interests, you can also vote for the other guy come the next election.