Tuesday, January 12, 2016

No music festivals at FMCP

From the Daily News:

The city Parks Department has rejected all three proposals to host multi-day music festivals at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the Daily News has learned.

Concert promoter AEG, the force behind the popular Coachella music festival on the West Coast, applied for a permit to have an event at the sprawling Queens park.

MSG and Founders Entertainment followed with applications for the site which housed both the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World's Fairs "Parks reviewed all permit applications thoroughly," said Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver. "While we are heartened by the interest in one of Queens' most historic parks, our primary concern is ensuring the park is available for the many New Yorkers who call Flushing Meadows Corona Park their backyard."

Officials said large-scale, multi-day festivals had never been held on the grassy areas of the park and were surprised by the number of applications the city received for 2016.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good! Leave our park for park goers.

Anonymous said...

Complain that Queens is a cultural wasteland, then block any attempt to bring in something new.

Some people just like to complain.

Anonymous said...

Good. It would wind up being like the raucous dangerous Caribbean Day parade in Brooklyn.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, we're still stuck with the USTA at FMCP, thanks to former Mayor Dinkins.

Anonymous said...


It looks like the Borough President has some "juice".

(sarc) said...

The day the music died...

Anonymous said...

"It would wind up being like the raucous dangerous Caribbean Day parade in Brooklyn."

Exactly - can you imagine the number of sexual assaults and shooting that would occur?

"Complain that Queens is a cultural wasteland, then block any attempt to bring in something new." Queens is not a cultural wasteland - it's just not Manhattan - and Flushing Meadow is not Central Park, nor should it be.

Anonymous said...

It's only a matter of time-- and how big the bribes will go. Promoters will realize they need to come in with larger bags of cash in order to get their druggy-fests off the ground.

Anonymous said...

"Unfortunately, we're still stuck with the USTA at FMCP, thanks to former Mayor Dinkins."

Yeah, but we will soon be stuck with a freakin' unwanted mall on parkland at Willet's Point thanks to the Wilpon's and their bought and paid for cronies in the City Council.

Anonymous said...

By relocating the festival to Randalls ISland, it's in a location closer to Astoria for the hipster demographic. The youngsters can get an exercise by walking to the concert using the Triboro (not RFK) Bridge.

Joe said...

"Promoters will realize they need to come in with larger bags of cash"

Exactly, these greedy bastards start with small offerings (like use of a a medic tent they bring anyway) then eventually small then millions of dollars to get a foot in the door.
Nobody reads or talks about the fine print where the only local jobs will be pushing brooms for minimum wage. These big "gorillas" like AEG bring in their own crews, lights, sound, catering and then lock everybody else out including bands that were not signed up with Clear Channels "promotional and radio services to insure success".
Just like Clear Channel did when they bribed the Nassau county executive (in cohoots with the Long Island I.A.T.S.E union to take over the Jones Beach Theater in this "partnership". Ticket prices went from $18 to $68 and people HAD to use Ticketmaster service (and more charges) to get them. Now a concert will cost you over $100.
Bringing in AEG or any of these snakes and "gorillas" would have brought nothing to Queens residents. WOW its seems these politicians actually read the fine print and knew nothing of actual or special value was placed on the table.

Anonymous said...

1939- 1940 Queens must have been a nice place to live.

Anonymous said...

Again, *uck the concerts and clean up this park. No one cares about throwing events for wannabe hipsters and millenials.

Anonymous said...

Randalls already hosts these drug-fests-- that's the problem. They cancelled one or two last year because of OD's. The promoters want FMCP because of easy-in-easy-out. Randalls is not that-- tough to get into and out of, and no "cache" for the limousine set. That's right folks-- like it or not the USTA presence for the past 40 years has made FMCP desirable for other black car crowd events.

Anonymous said...

Are there people who actually have a problem with the US Open being held in Queens?

Anonymous said...

Jimi Hendrix used to play at Randalls Island when it had a big stadium at the south end where the oval running track is now. They always had a small helicopter and a couple boats on hand ready for emergency's and mixed use. However everybody was mellow and nobody OD'd or started fights those days.
Whats wrong with these hipsters and millenials, are the drugs different these days ?

Anonymous said...

Are there people who actually have a problem with the US Open being held in Queens?
---------

I have a problem with a giant facility taking dozens of acres of parkland, used two weeks out of the year by people from the UWS and Fairfield County, that is gated off to the locals the other 50 weeks a year.

Why do we have to give up space for them to have a private party?

Anonymous said...

Anon #15 said:
"Are there people who actually have a problem with the US Open being held in Queens?"
Yeah, problems with US Open held at FMCP: Taking acres upon acres of valuable parkland to build two stadiums, and constructing entrance and exit lanes; spending park $$ on the area around the stadiums, while virtually ignoring the rest of FMCP; invasion of the park by limousines, buses, and autos during games, and parking on grassland; diverting LGA planes away from an empty park to heavily congested residential areas during USTA games; signing (by Dinkins) of 99-year lease with USTA that penalizes the City if LGA planes fly over the stadiums during games' etc..., etc.

Anonymous said...

They are drug fests indeed.

Anonymous said...

At thisoint the U.S. Open is the only thing that brings people to Queens.
That BS about attracting tourism is as phony as its promoters.
Tourists wouldn't waste their precious time coming to a vast wasteland.
London, Paris, New York does not mean Queens. It means MANHATTAN.

Anonymous said...

"Jimi Hendrix used to play at Randalls Island..."

I saw The Doors and many other groups at The Singer Bowl in FMCP a long, long time ago.

Anonymous said...

It means MANHATTAN

Hahaha....yeah, that's it.
Super congested, polluted, dirty streets, loads of homeless and mentally disturbed individuals.
Yeah I got it.

Anonymous said...

Are there people who actually have a problem with the US Open being held in Queens?
---------


Yes. Is sitting idle for the most part of the year.
US Open is a couple of weeks in the summer.
Dinkins was a tennis buff and the stadiums were sweetheart deals brokered under his reign.
The rest of the park is in very bad shape.
Soon, since US owes too much money to China will be apartment buildings, co-ops and malls popping up.
Like the rest of Flooshing will be taken over.

Anonymous said...

Queens is not a cultural wasteland - it's just not Manhattan -


hahahahahahaha
hohohohohohoho
hehehehehehehe

nor Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx or Jersey or the Island for that matter. The bottom line is the culture in Queens that is supported by public money is geared to vote getting and as a result is quite dreary.

Anonymous said...

Dave Bruebeck and Maynard Fergussen also played Randall's.

Anonymous said...

Queens still holds the position of being a "cultural wasteland" compared to the other four boroughs.
Waddayagot to offer that outshines the golden isle?
Hmmmmm....precious little that anyone with a brain can see!

Anonymous said...

If the boss himself, Bruce Springsteen wanted to have a concert at FMCP no one would be bitching about the idea.

Anonymous said...

The permits were denied because the city has no public review/comment process for this. So, over the coming months, a bill will be introduced with requirements for public review/comment for large scale events in city parks. The council will approve it. Then, all of the same applicants who have presently been denied will apply again, and their proposals will undergo public review/comment. And guess what? Those applicants will stack the deck with proponents of the park concerts -- bussing them in and doing whatever is necessary to overwhelm dissenters. A lobbyist for MSG already appeared at Queens Community Board 7 on Monday night (the same day the denial of the permits was announced), eager to "work with" the community board to clear the way for MSG's private use of FMCP park.

Anonymous said...

Waddayagot to offer that outshines the golden isle?

Nothing really. I impossible to outshine the Tammany Hall inspired golden isle.
So get on your Citi bike and ride the pothole filled streets of the golden isle.

Anonymous said...

The last comment sounds like it was coming from a politician. Is that you Katz??

Anonymous said...

"The Boss" Springstein is well past his prime.
I would not pay a nickel to hear his weak raspy voice try to shout out a lyric.
But even he would decline FMCP.
That would indicate he's hit the bottom of the barrel, accepting this paltry venue.

Anonymous said...

WTF has Tammany Hall got to do with the present? RU daft, fella?
NYC proper has major attractions. All transportation spokes in the wheel lead to the hub...MANHATTAN...
the golden isle. That is the way the subway system was designed in the early 1900s.
So, there is no need to city bike in.
"I'll take Manhattan, not the Bronx or Staten Island, fool....
and I will pass on visiting ....the Queens zoo. The great big city's a wondrous toy, just made for a girl and boy". That means Manhattan.

Anonymous said...

If not Springsteen then how about Morrissey?