Seatrain / Crowbar / Randall's Island / Mandrill / Happy & Artie Traum

Dndsz88 Jul 14, 2020

CORRECTION:
The venue was not the Spectrum - it was an outdoor free concert located at Fairmont Park/Belmont Plateau (not a band) sponsored by WIBG AM radio.
https://images.app.goo.gl/gGY79d...
OCR Text:
WIBG Spring Fever Day: a 'Be-In' burn By JONATHAN TARIFF To call the April 18 "free concert" at Belmont Plateau a "Be-In" would be doing the term an injustice. The four-year history of Be-in's in Philadelphia has been marked by healthy doses of community cooperation, a casual attitude towards entertainment procurement, a delightful sense of togetherly freedom shared by all who attended the happenings. This year's opening exercise at Belmont Plateau smelled of a different kettle of fish. Clear and simple, it was a commercial promotion, a bit of show biz flash, with all the tasteless degenerations that accompany such activities. Fairmount Park regulations expressly forbid any form of advertising on park land, but there was no way WIBG radio could be dissuaded from hanging their "WIBG Spring Fever Day" banner above the make-shift stage. The radio station, you see, had spent tons of money booking acts for this show, hiring traveling billboards to hype the event around town, .and offering thousands of free drinks to attendees. In return, tine station wanted credit, wanted the proper return on its investment. So the illegal sign stayed up for all to worship. Very hip. But when it came to crediting the folks who'd really put Spring Fever Day together, WIBG was not quite so righteous. For the record. Electric Factory Concerts and friends volunteered their services (gratus) and took responsibility for stage construction (3 flatbed trucks from Pflaumer beer distributors, sound (Festival Group and Natural Sound) and stage direction during the show. Where were the Wibbage good guys when equipment had to be lugged, or the crowd kept off the stage? In the comfort of their trailer, eating fried chicken. That's involvement. The Electric Factory people also interceded on WIBG's behalf when the city threatened to withdraw the park permit four days before the event. The city was fearful of huge traffic jams and the fears came true as 50,000 people converged on the park from every direction. But the Factory people had won the permit by observing "this event has been heavily promoted. Music or no music, people will be there. And we don't want a confrontation, do we?" We didn't. A& mm 50,000 PEOPLE and six toilets. "Just plain irresponsible, promoting a show like this. It should have been at JFK Stadium. And if I have my way, WIBG will never get another park permit." People hitchhiked from Ohio, bicycled from Atlantic City, walked or drove from less esoteric locales to see the show. Doubtless, most were drawn by the headline act an up and coming, super polished and showy country rock group called Seatrain. The rest came to bring a little Woodstock glorymadness to the wilds of Fairmount Park. When questioned, many revealed that they knew nothing of WIBG's sponsorship, having learned of the event by word of mouth. Others showed their loyalty to the sponsors by blasting WMMR on portable radios. Money can't buy love. Said one Park Guard official surveying the scene: "This event is just too big. We had a couple of brush fires today, but the traffic was so jammed up that it took the fire trucks a half hour to get through. (Meanwhile, young people had doused the flames with good old dirt.) "And can you Imagine, only six toilets for 50,000 people! Just plain irresponsible, promoting a show like this. It should have been at JFK Stadium. (Lotsa luck.) And if I have my way, WIBG will never get another park permit." Well, I don't know if WIBG was that irresponsible. After all, they did bring 50 trash bags to hold the refuse dropped by 50,000 people. Ten times that number of bags would have done the job adequately, but it's the thought that counts, right? Happy Earth Week. If it sounds like I'm coming down pretty heavy on WIBG, I am. Happenings like theirs', out and out commercial ventures designed to boost ratings, sell beer or whatever, give the idea of the "Be-In" a sleazy, half-baked connotation, draw a crowd of passive onlookers too large for comfort, leaving many who can't hear or see the stage with the somewhat misplaced feeling that they've been "had." Worst of all, such massive, inadequately handled events give the city and park commission ample cause for alarm and hesitation over the granting of future permits. The Carpetbaggers have come and gone. Now will we be able to have some true-blue Be-Ins, organized by community minded people with strictly humane motivations, to see us through the long, hot summer? Let's hope for that. "'(d) iitiw Iliscf LnelbooV-' bun n.. .fmmirft) fn& so.t.'iV'.-