Word has is that this mega event for 2009 released its list of bands that will be performing. This includes Pearl Jam, Black Eyed Peas, and the Dave Matthews band.
But since the Chronicle posted the list of bands, comment land was open for all... at least a third of the comments posted on the Gate was negative comments about the hell they experienced last year alone. And I'm going to share those comments with you!
- I said: "Great... a major event on a Friday. Ask the Friday afternoon commuters last year who had to suffer on Muni with skipping buses, and super crowded conditions."
- I also said: "Muni is not ready to take this kind of brunt. The system will be on the brink of destruction and insanity because while this three-day festival is taking place, Muni metro is also responsible for the three-game series at AT&T Park. OutsideLands should start considering to contract out private bus companies to shuttle the masses to the closest BART station (probably Civic Center or Daly City)."
- Citizen said: "Weak lineup this year and definitely not worth spending hundreds of dollars on. Last year was a waste of time. Short set lists and the sound cut out during two of the three 'headliners'. The General Admission areas were so over-crowded at times that people had to be pulled out and carried away, while the 'amenities' of the VIP areas never quite seemed justify the top-dollar price of admission. All this, and an overlapping schedule that forced you to choose one band over another (and then get caught in a stampede rushing from one stage to the next). I'll save my cash and check out bands in smaller venues throughout the year."
- Mudwaters said: word of advice: Don't buy the tix and get it at WILL CALL. We waited 2 hours to get our FREAKIN' tix. We missed 30 mins of Radiohead last year. Not worth the $100 we paid. Also they better organize the shows so they don't collide with each other. PICK UP YOUR GARBAGE PEOPLE!
- Sffili said: "Plus- lineup, venue, layaway ticket plan. Minus- crazy out of town crowds with no SF resident discount (for out of town-ers trashing the park, and crowding/delaying muni), still SUPER expensive...did they learn anything from last year?!"
- Sfhopeful said: "Take a walk through Speedway Meadows and you'll see the HUGE ruts and bald spots that are STILL not healed from last year's Outside Lands. I run there almost every day and NOTHING AT ALL has been done to repair the huge damage that was done last year by this concert. I am a huge fan of concerts and love these bands -- but Golden Gate Park is one of the greatest urban parks in the world -- but the City is whoring it and doing untold damage to it because it needs the money. A concert this size for 3 days SHOULD NEVER be allowed in this area."
- Sfhopeful also said: "Imagine if you are a resident of the Richmond or Sunset. You have NO SAY whatsoever about this being held -- it's just done. THREE DAYS of music for hours and hours -- and it is VERY loud for blocks. that's great if you chose to go to the concert - but what if you're 80 and sick in bed? What if you don't like the music? Hardly Strictly has to end in the evening, this went well into the night THREE DAYS really gets on your nerves. Plus, people have to jockey cars for 3 days so they always have one parked in their own drives ($100 ticket, cause it's illegal to do that!) or they'd be blocked in and unable to get out, tow service backed up for hours... Like I said, I like the music -- but believe me, it's different when you're at a concert vs. trying to do work or put your kids down for a nap or invite friends over for dinner. AS usual, the City just tells tax-paying homeowners to screw themselves and walks roughshod over us."
- Sfhopeful said too: "I did not choose to buy property next to AT&T Park of the Oakland Coliseum. I chose to buy it three doors from a beautiful park and open space. Now, it's not one or two events - it's enormous events drawing hundreds of thousands all summer long: Bay-to-Breakers, AIDS walk, Nike Women's Marathon, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Outsides Lands. All GREAT EVENTS! All great causes! And I love the bands! But huge swathes of the Park are fenced off throughout the summer, Speedway and Marx Meadows are hugely damaged, and having this many people all summer in what was planned as a quiet, residential neighborhood -- with no parking facilities not great mass transit and no shops, etc. near the park (because it's a PARK, not a stadium) -- it's just gotten totally out of hand. Before you bad-mouth me, remember that not everyone in the world is 17-25 and imagine you had finally saved to buy a home in a quiet neighborhood near a PARK -- and this is what happened over the next 15 years..."
- hpbromine said: "Pardon me for asking a pretty fundamental question. Why should anything be allowed that chases the folks that live in the area out of their homes for 3 days because of noise? Seems to me that a reasonable amount of peace and quiet is a right; not one that the city has any right to auction off for the benefit of folks who don't live in the area. The suggestion that driving folks out of their homes is OK so long as 'not too many calls were received' is totally absurd. I'd like to see neighbors get together and sue the city for damages. After all, if the city is going to profit from an event that chases folks from their homes, then those folks ought to receive compensation for the inconvenience."
- missiondweller2 said: "I have to say I feel for the neighbors who are inconvenienced. I'm sure the local businesses don't see much increase either."
- markatos said: "This sucked last year. Overpriced, people were extremely rude walking on top of people who were sitting down, radiohead's sounds kept cutting out, crowd control wasn't even apparent with people tearing fences down. This festival is bogus."
- schueyshadow1 said: "For those of us who live in the Outer Sunset and spend all summer re-routing our lives for the sake of the Rec and Park Dept's coffers, I hope the exorbitant ticket price drives a stake through the heart of this event. You could have the Second Coming as a headliner and it would still annoy the neighbors."
- stevied20 said: "Public parks, which belong to the people of this city, should not be closed off for private profit making businesses unless every taxpayer gets a check in the mail. The parks belong to the people of this city, not to the corrupt Dept of Parks and Recreation. On another related issue, if money is not going to Muni for extra runs to the park then Muni should not provide the service. Last year I waited for an hour and a half for a bus to the Sunset. I finally took a cab. As we passed Golden Gate Park there were at least 20 buses waiting for the concert to end so they could pick up concert goers. This is a big scam on the people who live in this city."
- vernshillinger said: "I hope the DPW has enough tow trucks on hand to tow away the cars illegally parked in driveways. Last year I had to wait for an hour to get out of my garage. A few pieces of advice if you're one of the unwashed masses attending this event: 1. Take MUNI, bike, pay for a cab, walk or hitchhike -don't drive. B. Clean up after yourself, don't litter my front yard. 3. - The street isn't a toilet. 4. If you do drive and choose to park illegally - Oh Oh, Better Call Maaco."
- opinions_r_like said: "Hey, where can I pay $299 to never have to hear Dave Matthews Band or Pearl Jam again?"
- thenisaid said: "This sucked so hard. I went last year on Friday and was excited to attend, and ended up swearing off festivals because of how terrible the experience was."
- nezumi said: "Not only is the MUNI situation going to be horrific, parking will be a general disaster because of the Academy of Science and Tut exhibition at the DeYoung. Rec and Park really ought to consider other locations as there are simply not enough services or properly paved roads on the west side. I am already trying to figure out whether it will be more efficient to go downtown or out to the Beach to get from the Richmond to the Sunset on MUNI during summer since there are no real decent supermarkets (butcher & produce) on this side. It normally took 30-45 minutes to get from Lincoln Way to Fulton Street when the parking lot was full. As to all you non-west siders, we don't hear the music; we hear the drums and bass only and some high notes from singers. It depends on exactly the speakers are placed. Essentially, it is loud, throbbing and non-descript. I personally don't care for mobs and portapotties so go enjoy yourselves. Don't park on my sidewalk or puke on my front stairs. Pick up your trash too."
- james718 said: "Does anyone even remember the last time muni 'stepped up to the plate' for any large, special event? Look up 'Golden Gate Bridge 50th Year Anniversary' if you care to read a horror story."
If you want to call me a NIMBY, go ahead, and go to that concert. But just wait until you say:
"You were right Akit, we got screwed over by Muni, OutsideLands, overpriced taxicabs, overflowing porta-johns, and much more."
This whole thing is off to a grand start. The first outreach and planning meeting for Sunset people, which was to be tomorrow night, has been canceled. Few people even know there are meetings scheduled and no one is doing anything to inform them. There is no outreach and the people who live along the park in the Sunset district are going to get screwed again. Talked to a neighbor who didn't even know the concert was happening again.
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