From: "Laurel" Date sent: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 10:57:50 -0700 Subject: Officials say concert fiasco not their fault Salem Statesman Journal - Sunday 9/10/00 Officials say concert fiasco not their fault Refunds for a Def Leppard show revive debate on Salem's noise law. Oregon State Fair officials say they're not to blame for last weekend's Def Leppard concert fiasco that forced $14,000 in ticket refunds. About 800 fans sought refunds after the '80s-era band told the crowd it couldn't play at its normal hard-rocking volume because of a city noise ordinance, which they had learned about only during pre-show sound checks. The incident also has rekindled the debate whether the noise levels allowed by the city are adequate for fair concerts. Fair officials say they told the band's management months ago and even put it in their contract, but apparently word never reached band members. "We're bearing the brunt of angry fans, but the band's management assured us they could work within that (volume) range," said Lin Wolfe, a fair spokeswoman. The band and its loyal fans - who have dubbed the incident the "decibel debacle" - spent last week heaping scorn on either the fair or the city over the incident via phone, letter and on the band's Web site. "I think it goes without saying that we will never do this again," wrote Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott on the band's Web site. "And I would want other artists thinking of playing this venue to think twice before doing so." Since the night of the show, about 100 more concert-goers have called the fair asking for their money back. "It's a ridiculous law," said Ramona Clawson, 35, who came from Lebanon to see the band. "I've been waiting for this for 10 years, and in some places (in the amphitheater) it was distorted and you could barely hear." Others at the concert say that's an exaggeration: "It was plenty loud. If people can't hear that, they're already deaf," said Barbara Dixon, a fair worker. Some say the city-imposed limits have kept big-name acts away from the L.B. Day Amphitheatre. Former fair Director Rusty Vernon said Santana would not come because of it. In 1995, the band Live was fined $10,000 for violating the limit after the band decided it would rather pay the fine than play less loudly. Wolfe admits city rules keep some bands away, but says the fair has no plans to lobby the Salem City Council for higher limits. Of the 10 bands that played during the fair, Def Leppard was the only one that had a problem with the noise restrictions, Wolfe said. The limit does seem to be keeping the peace with neighbors: This year, no complaints were registered with either the fair or the city, officials said. Allowable concert decibel levels have risen in the last decade from about 92 to 101, according to Brandon Bennett, superintendent of Salem's department of Community Enforcement. Last year, the Salem City council rejected a request from Vernon to increase the allowable level another point. That would have been significant, since volume levels double every three points. What the fair does plan to do, Wolfe side, is examine the feasibility of upgrading the amphitheater so that it could accept louder bands. Bennett said disputes between city enforcement officers and bands often stem from a lack of communication. It's not uncommon, he said, for noise officers to encounter musicians to whom word about the rule hasn't filtered down through the band's retinue. Def Leppard says when it learned of the sound limit during a run-through of their song "Promises," the band members debated among themselves about whether to go on at all. "We're not used to compromising our sound in any way, and to play as we did was a major compromise," Elliott wrote online. The band told the audience about the limitation and said refunds could be had. The sound didn't discourage most of the 8,000-fan, sell-out concert from staying, though many yelled for the sound to be turned up. Wolfe said officials decided to stop refunding the $20 tickets 55 minutes into the show, even though some were still coming to a ticket window for refunds. Losses were split between the fair and the band. Fans who have called in seeking refunds were sent a letter from the fair asking them to write back and explain why they didn't seek a refund that night.