The issue of selling alcohol, and improving concessions sales overall, at the Tivoli and Memorial Auditorium is not new. The current mayor and the city council, to their credit, have finally after all these years come up with some excuses for opposing it that at least make a little bit of sense.
For so long, the folks in charge have reminded me of Dan Aykroyd’s Irwin Mainway character on “Saturday Night Live.” He’s the guy you’ll remember who defended the selling of such “toys” as Johnny Switchblade: Adventure Punk and Bag o’ Glass by arguing that traditionally “safe” toys can be harmful. Wooden alphabet blocks could give a child splinters, and a foam play ball could find its way into a child’s mouth.
These things could indeed happen.
Just as patrons to the city-owned venues could get liquored up and tear up the seats, pour their drinks onto the floors, sneak in flasks filled with booze and, as one former official said years ago, “spill their sloppy Joes all over the place.”
Some of that stuff does happen at venues that serve concessions, even ones that don’t sell alcohol.
Several weeks ago, the mayor said that the city simply doesn’t want or need to be in the alcohol-selling business and that he worries about the liability.
Well OK, that makes sense.
Yes, alcohol is sold at city-owned facilities and venues, including the Tivoli on occasion, but on those occasions some other group gets the liquor license and assumes the responsibility.
Some folks who argue all the horrible things that “will” happen if alcohol is served seem to forget that not serving alcohol doesn’t mean that patrons are stone-cold sober when they watch a show at either facility. I was reminded of a Kenny Wayne Shepherd concert at the Tivoli where an overserved fan did in fact dial in a “clean-up in row J” right behind me. He didn’t buy his liquor there.
Back when it was getting regular concerts, part of the fun at shows in McKenzie Arena was identifying the fan who would never hear the first note of the headliner. There was always one. He’d started pregaming well before the show. Once inside, he was the guy playing his air guitar and trying to get the crowd to do the wave. About 10 minutes before the main act was to start, he was the guy curled up on the floor waiting to be carried out by security.
The point in mentioning that is not to make light of overdrinking but to point out those guys exist at every venue. Whether or not beer or wine is sold inside changes little about that.
What it does do is allow responsible adults to continue to have a full evening of fun at a concert that warrants the sale of alcohol. No one is proposing selling beer at Sesame Street on ice. It also should provide a new, much needed revenue stream for the struggling venues. Part two in all of this is changing the rules so that concessions can be taken inside the performing areas so that patrons don’t have to scarf their Skittles during a five-minute break.
From what I can gather, the situation now is that thanks to Councilman Andrae McGary’s efforts, some of the roadblocks have been removed. Now what is needed is a private group to step forward and be responsible for managing alcohol sales at the venues. How it might work is to be determined.
The alternatives appear to be selling the venues or allowing them to go underutilized. Clean, but underused.