Word is that Riverbend officials are strongly considering the demise of the Coke Stage, or "the barge" as some call it.
I have some advice: Do it! Do it now before anyone changes their mind. Park it on the Tennessee River between the Market and Walnut Street bridges and set fire to it. Make it an event. Sell tickets.
Did I mention that I hate the Coke Stage?
I have been to a lot of concerts, well over 500. Reviewing concerts was part of my job as music writer at the Birmingham News for more than a decade. I have seen shows in New York, Montreal, Atlanta, Nashvillle and Austin, Texas, among other places, and the Coke Stage is absolutely, positively, the worst stage I have ever seen.
I've heard some Riverbend officials say, "Everybody loves the Coke Stage." I've never heard one single person say they like it.
(Read more: New Riverbend leadership, changes announced)
I don't care who the act is, I simply won't bother to watch an act that plays the Coke Stage. The performers are just dots on the 40-foot-tall monstrosity. To see them, you have to watch the big screens set up on Riverfront Parkway. But who goes to a live concert to watch it on TV?
I would suggest putting a regular stage on the huge, green field directly across Riverfront Parkway from where the Coke Stage now floats. Let it face the river. There is plenty of space on the field, and people could actually get close.
Riverbend officials say they're considering other changes to the festival, too. It was a good idea last year to shorten it from nine days to four. Nine days is simply too long; you can't fill that many days with quality acts.
They've also said - correctly - that the main acts take too many leaps across the musical spectrum. You're paying a good chunk of money for the Coke Stage acts, which reduces the amount of money you can spend on acts for the other stages. And honestly, this year's lineup of headliners - country singer Keith Urban, rapper Macklemore, power poppers Weezer and mainstream pop's Lionel Richie - was too schizophrenic.
Riverbend officials also mentioned that stages could be moved closer to the Market Street and Olgiati bridges. Spreading the site out a bit is a good idea and may eliminate some of the bottleneck masses of people.
I'm guessing the success of the Moon River Festival in Coolidge Park on the North Shore has prompted Riverbend folks to acknowledge that the 38-year-old festival is getting creaky and fossilized. Good for them.
Just one last piece of advice: Sink the Coke Stage.
Shawn RyanContact Shawn Ryan at mshawnryan@gmail.com.