Is that the case with city officials involved in a beef over who should present what for the Downtown Thursday Night events or does it run deeper?
The weekly event drew a fair number of people. Only thing is, apparently, they were the wrong people – young people, without a lot of spending money.
They were drawn by performances of some rock bands that set up on the street.
Now, we always complain about not having enough for the kids to do. Then, when something like this comes along, we complain because they aren’t the desirable demographic for local businesses.
If they change the scenario and offer, say, chamber quartets, what kind of crowds will the event generate?
It may be less boisterous, it may be an older demographic, but I’ll guarantee the numbers will be down.
Maybe the downtown venue isn’t the right one for this event; maybe the organizers of the former event should take their plan and move it over to a park or more youthful environment; maybe we all just need to lighten up a little bit, let our hair down and let these kids rock.
Being in such a small market, we get geezer rock bands like Styx and The Beach Boys, or second-tier country acts that don’t take us too close to the edge, like Diamond Rio.
That may satisfy some, but there’s a whole other audience out there that would much rather turn it up than turn it off.
The classics are fine, but there’s a growing number of people who need something a little edgier, a little fresher, a little more real.