Sound checks were taking place at the Beach Road Weekend venue in Vineyard Haven on Wednesday and Thursday, ahead of this weekend’s music festival.
Joe Chambers, doing public relations for the event, said that decibel readings were being recorded from various locations nearby — both baseline sound levels and festival-volume sound levels — in an effort to protect the surrounding area from sound traveling from the main stages.
Following last year’s noise complaints from some residents, Chambers and event founder Adam Epstein say they are taking additional measures this year.
Chambers is hoping a change to the festival’s speaker distribution will also help to control traveling sound. Instead of switching back and forth between the two main stages like they did last year, this year crew will evenly distribute performance sound to all speakers from either stage, which Chambers hopes will create “a more balanced sound across all speakers” and throughout the festival grounds. Most speakers are positioned at the stages in a way that will spread the sound out around the entire field.
The place with the best sound? Chambers says it’s the ADA viewing platform, located directly in the center of the field.
Chamber said that they were in good shape on Thursday to be ready for when gates open on Friday at 11 am. Main stage music will begin at 12 pm and continue ‘till 8pm, after which local bands will play on a smaller stage with reduced speaker power.
Ahead of the weekend, the festival grounds were busy and bustling. Upwards of 200 workers came from around the country, some of them local, to assemble the festival grounds, with vendor structures, porta potties, three stages, lighting and sound systems, a backstage artist lounge area, and a catering tent that provides three meals a day for working festival crew.
“It all comes up quick, and it all comes down even quicker,” said Chambers. “We’re building a small city.”
Some musicians, like Patti Smith and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, are already on the Island ahead of the festival, says Chambers. “We love to help them out to get the full island experience. You might see a couple people around town,” he said.
Chambers said he doesn’t anticipate festival closures or delays, despite the rain in the forecast. “We have our own systems in place internally for how to deal with rain,” he said. Last year an inch-and-a-half of rain came down on Friday night, flooding the field and knocking out the electrical systems and metal detectors at the gate. Saturday’s early acts were canceled to prepare the festival site for a late opening.
“We are not anticipating any kind of cancellations due to weather. We’re storming ahead so to speak, no pun intended,” he said.
Festival organizers will work with local emergency fire and police personnel in the case of inclement weather. “We’re doing our best to keep everybody safe and have a great time,” said Chambers.
There will be police presence throughout the weekend at Five Corners to help direct traffic. Lagoon Pond Road will be closed to driving traffic during festival hours, but authorities will work with businesses and residents to make sure they can still get where they need to go.
I remember when the Island was great.
If it was too loud it was to bad, for three days.
“Upwards of 200 workers came from around then country, some of them local”
What percentage of the 200 would you say were local? And does local just mean the island or does it means cape and island?
It means they got the people they think they need.
Local is preferred, they know the Island, and have housing.
The Island doesn’t have a lot to offer in the way of people with concert operations experience.
Since the editor doesn’t bother to deal with comments
for days on end, I have actually found the answer to
my question before it has even posted. There seems to
be a rule that you can’t comment on your own comment
until it is approved.
It seems that the MVRHS actually owns their busses.
Other school districts rent their busses from a company
that is licensed to “charter” their busses, and as such
have a different license and different insurance coverages.
They are able to treat students and attendees of BRW in
the same legal manner. MVRHS busses can only transport
students. I have this as second hand knowledge, and have
not been able to conclusively confirm it.
I could be wrong.
Jim– I’m not sure how many sound technicians you
know on this island that have the expertise to set this up.
My guess is that most of the 200 workers travel with the
bands and the equipment, and know what they are doing
to provide a class event.
Do you wonder how many locals set up and ran the
agricultural fair recently ? Yeah, there are some, they run the
concessions, deal with trash, security, parking, etc.
But I don’t think I would feel good about putting my 4 year old
on some of those rides if they were set up by locals who had
no idea about how to set them up or the safety rules.
But — speaking of local workers for this event…
I have noticed dozens of school busses shuttling
people around. They are from Newton, Rockland, Weymouth
And Falmouth , as well as some other places and schools I
never heard of.
I went past the high school today. I went down to where the
MVRHS school busses are parked. So today, while dozens of
busses and their not so local drivers from up to 70 miles away
were shuttling people around, 17 full sized busses and 4 short busses
were sitting behind a locked gate at the high school.
Let’s keep in mind that those dozens of busses used a good deal
of gas to get here and go back. The drivers have booked hotel
rooms and ferry spaces during the busiest weekend of the summer.
Can anyone tell me why those local busses remained parked,
and the local drivers remained without work ?
I have my opinion as to why something this idiotic could happen
but I will not pass judgement at this point .
Don, you obviously missed the point of my question. It wasn’t about sound technicians and road crews. I was wondering how many locals were involved in the set up of the facilities themselves. Yeah. I wouldn’t want my children riding the ferris wheel set up by people with no experience setting it up. But there’s plenty of activity that has to happen before the ferris wheel crew shows up
Jim, it is in the best interest of BRW to employ as many locals as possible.
They know the Island, and have housing.
BRW has no transportation or housing costs.
They are businessmen, they seek out least cost, acceptable performance staff.
No one wants to employ Off Islanders they do it because of the lack of needed skill sets/willing to lump and tote on Island.
The number of people who travel with the bands is nowhere near 200. The sound, video, and light systems are supplied by companies that are independent of the bands.
You may be surprised at how many people on MV have experience in concert work at this level, or greater. I can name folks who have worked with the Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Miles Davis, Bob Marley, and on events like the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals.
Jim, BRW would prefer to hire these people, they would not have to pay to house them.
Did the folks you know who have worked with the Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Miles Davis, Bob Marley, and on events like the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals look to BRE for work?
The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Miles Davis, Bob Marley are mostly dead.
The guys who worked their shows are pretty much geezers, not much lump and tote left.
Roadies burn out young, all the drugs.
Most performers rent , not own, most of their performance equipment.
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