Alpine Valley concert decline amps up concern
LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP — The decline in Alpine Valley Music Theatre concerts this season has lead law enforcement and community officials to wonder about the dip in shows.
Curiosity about the concert venue is up because Alpine Valley officials worked hard during the off season to get approvals from the town, Walworth County Sheriff’s Office and county for overnight camping in a parking lot.
Despite the approvals, camping was not offered at Alpine Valley’s first summer concert and it will not be available for what appears to be the venue’s only other summer show.
Attendance for Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band on June 25 was more than 28,000, according to the sheriff’s office.
Camping again will not be offered at Alpine’s next two concerts, Pearl Jam on Sept. 3 and 4, general manager David Shaw said.
Neither Sheriff’s Capt. Dana Nigbor, who coordinates paid security at Alpine, nor Barbara Fischer, LaFayette’s clerk treasurer, knows why only two bands are playing Alpine this summer.
Both expressed curiosity as to why only three shows were scheduled for a venue that had seven shows in 2009 and six in 2010.
Shaw would not comment.
Others speculated.
The sheriff’s office must receive a 60-day notice of a concert, meaning an announced concert could not take the stage until after Pearl Jam plays. The sheriff can waive that requirement.
Teri Adlam, Waukesha County Expo Center manager, said competition to book bands this summer was intensified by the increasing number of venues, such as Indian casinos.
The Expo Center is home to the Waukesha County Fair.
The cost of top acts has risen dramatically, leading some venues to question the profitability of booking them, Adlam said.
Walworth County Fair Manager Susan Pruessing said top bands “are becoming a little more pickier” about where they play.
Concert halls in Branson, Mo., Las Vegas and Chicago have become more appealing to bands, she said. Casinos can bring in musicians, lose money on ticket sales but profit on dinners, drinks and gambling, she said.
When the Dave Matthews Band, once a regular at Alpine Valley, plays Chicago, standard contracts prohibit the band from playing anywhere else within 100 miles, Pruessing said.
Dave Matthews is playing Chicago July 8-10.
The prohibition can last 60 days before and after he plays, Pruessing said.
“You don’t want a band to saturate the market,” she said.
Other bands that made Alpine a regular tour stop have taken a break this summer to work in studios or chose to tour Europe or the East Coast, she said.
Fischer in her connections with Alpine said bands are becoming more selective about the stages and lighting available in performance areas.
A band that travels with its own stage and lighting does not want to play a venue where it can use only the venue’s equipment, Fischer said.
Shaw would not say if that dilemma was affecting Alpine.
Pearl Jam rejected camping at Alpine during its Labor Day performances, according to a Shaw letter to the county.
“I wanted to let you know that unfortunately we will not be having any camping at Alpine Valley Music Theatre this summer,” Shaw wrote.
“We were going to do it for Pearl Jam on Labor Day weekend, but the band met and decided that having camping for their shows is just not the scene/vibe they wanted to create, so they nixed it.
“Hopefully we’ll take another look at this for 2012. I’m aware we need to go through the entire process all over.”
Sheriff’s Capt. Nigbor said her office does not make or lose money by providing traffic and internal security at Alpine. The number of concerts makes no difference to the bottom line of the department’s budget, she said.
A $1.90 security surcharge is included in the cost of each concert ticket. The money is used to pay related expenses and salaries of sheriff’s deputies who work on their own time doing traffic control and security, Nigbor said.
Undersheriff Kurt Picknell said that a six-concert season brings about $250,000 and a seven-concert season brings about $300,000 to the sheriff’s office.
Under contract, Alpine must make sure all expenses from the sheriff’s office are covered.
The downturn in concerts could hurt deputies in their personal pocketbooks who make extra money at Alpine, Nigbor said.
“Some guys don’t mind because they’d rather have their summer weekends off,” she said.
Apparently, non-touring bands feel the same way.
Dec 19, 2011 at 9:29 p.m.
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From a fans perspective, perhaps the bands dont come to Alpine Valley anymore because the word is out that the parking lot is not a friendly place, the cops are rude and there is no camping. Most bands like to play a place where the cops leave the patrons alone, and there is camping so no one has to drive and can just enjoy themselves. This is much safer for the patrons and the band likes fun kind shows. I bet if Wallworth were to figure out they can leave the fans alone and let ALL folks camp on the grounds they would have bands and festivals just lining up to play there. NO ONE LIKES THE HASSLE of having a few too many and having to sober up or risk drunk driving because they are being thrown out of the lot. wise up or go out of business!
Jul 6, 2011 at 7:17 a.m.
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troublemaker~ the last line of your post...it's too bad every American didn't have that mindset. We might get something done.
Jul 5, 2011 at 10:17 p.m.
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It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. The venue is so over-policed it's ridiculous. dustyd and unclesmoothie are right on. The police seem to think they can just throw away the civil rights of anyone who comes near the place. We don't have to take that kind of heavy-handed government BS and we're not gonna!
Jul 5, 2011 at 4:25 p.m.
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Dave Matthews didn't come this year, which is a big show and I would assume big opportunity for camping, but they decided to take the year off of running a full tour. I go to his show every year and can't say that anyone from the sheriffs department has ever been restrictive. If you smoke pot in public or drink and act like an idiot, I suppose they'd have a word with you, but I think that's pretty fair?
Jul 5, 2011 at 3:33 p.m.
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I'm thinking the STRICT RULES that were put in place by the authorities for Camping pretty much put a Hold on that Idea.
Jul 5, 2011 at 3:27 p.m.
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The only way I will go to Alpine Valley anymore is on a bus. It saves from risking an attack from the notorious Walworth County "Wolfpack". I believe that's what they call themselves.
Jul 5, 2011 at 2:57 p.m.
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The repressive police presence at Alpine Valley events and on the roads leading there have taken the fun out of this venue. Want freedom and less government? Start here.
Jul 5, 2011 at 2:50 p.m.
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Just what is the concern here? All we heard for years was the taxing load on the Walworth Co. police force and now we are concerned about what? Lack of union labor overtime perhaps??
Jul 5, 2011 at 2:31 p.m.
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Clever headline.
Jul 5, 2011 at 10:51 a.m.
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The music industry has been shooting itself in the foot for many years now. It all starts and ends with greed. Big Music conglomerates paying too many people too much money, Ticketmaster owning a monopoly on ticket sales, and big name bands playing too few shows demanding exorbitant ticket prices. Fortunately for me, (unfortunate for my wife) I like alterative country/folk type music. I was able to recently see my favorite artist in madison. No fancy light show, no big entourage. just great music. I was 2 feet from the stage, paid 25 bucks for the ticket, and paid about 3 bucks for the beer. And got to shake his hand and take a photo before the show. these musicians play a couple hundred shows a year and make a pretty good buck doing what they love.
Jul 5, 2011 at 9:42 a.m.
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Pigs in east Troy have speed traps and give anyone who drives through a ticket. Huh, now they're missing their OT because no one will go to an Alpine valley concert.
You don't have to look too far to see who ruined the concert series at Alpine.
Jul 5, 2011 at 9:25 a.m.
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It's no secret that the music industry is in a pretty serious state of flux, and that many bands and artists are having a hard time selling tickets. Considering that decent seats at a show cost upwards of $100 at least, many people, like myself, don't see nearly as many concerts as they used to. Bands are touring together on the same bill, playing at smaller venues, and hitting the areas they know they can make a buck. That probably has something to do with it.
Jul 5, 2011 at 8:30 a.m.
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$50 for a shirt and $13. for a beer? Wow... i'll watch it on youtube for free and if i really need the shirt im sure JC Pennys will have it for $10.
Jul 5, 2011 at 7:43 a.m.
Jul 5, 2011 at 7:34 a.m.
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I was at Jimmy Buffett last weekend and had a great time. I can remember when there were concerts at Alpine Valley every weekend. A beer inside the venue cost (get this) $13! T-shirts were $50. My ticket cost $45. I think Walworth county is worrying about all of the lost revenue from citations and revenue they collect on the spot. I still wish they had more shows this year. I don't mind the cost to see top tier bands in such a great location.
Jul 5, 2011 at 7:11 a.m.
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Credit cards aren't as easy to come by anymore.
Jul 5, 2011 at 12:05 a.m.
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Must have something to do with Wisconsin being unfriendly to business, or some BS like that:) Because we live in a tax HE77 dint you know?
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