Another 104.5 Crapfest takes over NoLibs (again)

[wordsalad]

Neighbors, four times a year we are subjected to the 104.5 Summer Blockparty. D-bags drive to the Piazza from hours away to attend this massive free concert. The crowd then proceeds to piss and puke all over our neighborhood. There does not appear to be anywhere near enough security or portojohns. The crowd that I saw walking around at 6 ish was so plastered out of their minds, it is scary to think of all these kids driving back to Landsdale and West Chester (overheard 2 talking about where they drove in from). Walking over to pick up dinner at Green Olives, I chased off 2 completely plastered chicks and one dude peeing on the side of someone's house (the dude, obv). Green Olives was overrun with people stumbling in to use their bathroom, they tried to lock the doors, but were having some trouble as people kept leaving and more would come in. It was out of control.

Here are some pics of the crowd from the last concert:

http://www.radio1045.com/cc-common/gall ... 1/19442749

Seriously, can we band together to try to get rid of this bullshit??

[wordsalad]

Here is the thread from last summer. As far as I can tell, not much has changed.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1941&p=5483#p5483

[carpetbagger]

why doesn't tower give the neighborhood a heads up on these things (they might send an email out to tower renters)? it would be nice if they at least told the nlna and then it was emailed/posted here. at least the rain seemed to put a damper on things.

the piazza tweeted yesterday afternoon that the lot was full and visitors should look for street parking (don't tell them to use septa or anything, derp-- oh wait, most of the license plates i saw were NJ and DE, bleh)... is tower still trying to weasel out of building the car park they promised? with events like this, how can they possibly claim that there isn't a need?

[mattruben]

In fairness to Tower, the web site atthepiazza.com does have event listings.

That said, we have received a litany of complaints about yesterday's 104.5 Block Party event. Here are the issues that have been reported to us, and/or posted here and on other message boards. We have emailed this list to Tower.

Best,
Matt

---

(1) No Guest Parking. The Piazza's official Twitter account sent the following message:

"The parking lot is full! Please plan street parking or other transportation accordingly."

According to Twitter, this message was sent out at 12:14PM Saturday - meaning the lot was full several hours before the event began.


(2) Disruption of Supermarket Operations. We've gotten multiple reports of the SuperFresh lot being full with Block Party attendees, creating 25-30-minute waits for people in their cars trying to enter or exit the facility. This also included Block Party attendees driving the wrong way, trying to exit down the entrance ramp. It also included drivers running the red light at the Germantown intersection - not running a yellow turning to red, but being stopped at a red, and then deciding to go even though the light had not turned green.


(3) Visibly Intoxicated Patrons. We have received several complaints about this. These include visibly drunk people in their cars - again, some of whom drove into oncoming traffic by trying to exit down the entrance ramp. It also included visibly drunk people crossing in large numbers on green lights in front of the SuperFresh - contributing to the 30-minute wait for people trying to get out of the lot with their groceries. And it included various neighbors spotting visibly drunk people wandering around the streets, and getting into cars to drive away afterwards.


(4) Public Urination. We have gotten a reports of a neighbor having to shoo people away from trying to urinate on a private residence.


(5) Disruption of Private Business. After the event, attendees attempted to enter into the Green Olives market at 2nd and Wildey, to use the bathroom. A neighbor reports witnessing the business owners trying to lock their doors, but they were unable because they could not get people out before new people came in.


(6) Excessive Noise. Once again - as always with the 104.5 events - the sound could be heard far and wide, out to at least 4th St. to the west, and down to Brown and Fairmount to the south.

[carpetbagger]

thanks for the info, matt.

of course, tower /the pza will advertise things on their website. i guess i mean that they don't really go out of their way to engage with their neighbors anymore or put on events that draw in those who live here.

i always look forward to the nl/community events, like the upcoming 2nd st festival, as these events are usually always well managed, maintained, advertised and inclusive. it would be great if tower/pza folks could find a way to channel that type of success.

[boldikus]

while it was a pretty crappy, rainy weekend at the shore, i guess i'm glad i was there and not here! :)

[Alvin12]

I hate these events SO much that I make it a point to look up when they will be happening so I make sure to avoid the neighborhood at all costs. It's a shame that that's what it has to come to.

[Flanderpants]

I did not see any uniformed cops on second street at all on the day this was going on. I'm begining to wonder what these guys actually do - ya know, when they're not busy being rude and unhelpful to people who call and report actual crimes.

[Notcoolzeuss]

This is awesome

http://www.philebrity.com/2012/07/30/do ... liberties/

[apple]

i'm so glad i don't live near the Piazza anymore. I drove down Girard a few times Saturday and new that whatever was going on must have been a shitshow

[JLM]

...we have received a litany of complaints about yesterday's 104.5 Block Party event. Here are the issues that have been reported to us, and/or posted here and on other message boards. We have emailed this list to Tower...

Matt, it might also be worth contacting the event organizers (104.5?) and those who sponsor the block parties. Some of the sponsors are local businesses that might be responsive to the neighborhood's requests. Sponsors are listed here:

http://www.radio1045.com/pages/events/block-parties/

[MattatHope]

I think people will see what they want to see. The people that complain over and over again about the piazza will never be happy with whatever they do. I live one block off the piazza and besides being inconvenienced for half a day with parking and maybe some noise pollution, I don't see what the big f'ing deal is. Y'all hold the 2nd street festival in such high regard, but I see my fair share of drunks doing drunken things on that day as well. And explain to me why parking for that is any different. I can't find a spot around my house on that day either. Not everything in the neighborhood has to be catered to yuppies. They bring in pretty well known bands for free and people that will spend their money at the restaurants in the area and all everyone does is complain. There is a dozen porta potties outside (which is more than I normally see for the 2nd street festival, unless they are hidden somewhere) and the piazza is spotless within 24 hours after the event. It happens like 5 times a year, STFU already and get off your high horse!

[TimBukowski]

Ugh. The message board smells like Axe Body Spray after that last post.

[MattatHope]

Eh, actually I'm more of an old spice person. And if you must know, I am a thirty something with a professional job (no, I don't work for Tower), a wife and two dogs. I have lived in Northern Liberties before the Piazza was even open and I rarely frequent it except to maybe play quizzo at PYT or pass through on my way to 2nd street. I'm just tired of all the whinning about it. I generally hate everyone from "bros", "yuppies" & "hipsters" but I don't see the point of bitching about someting that happens a hand full of times a year when the worst complaint there seems to be is that they couldn't find parking and someone peed in the street. The horror!

[bernie]

any response from tower as of yet on the list of complaints?