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October 10, 2006
So, Who's Al Green, Again?
Two days after being quoted by the Times Free Press as being “not in support of relaxing the concession policy or further enabling the sale of alcohol at either the Tivoli or Memorial,” Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield appeared on WGOW’s “F.R.E.D. the Show” with Jeff Styles last Tuesday to receive a proper public grilling on the matter.
Littlefield was actually in the studio to discuss recent recycling developments, but Styles was able to get the mayor to spend roughly eight minutes (you can download the podcast here) discussing the topic of Tivoli/Memorial concessions towards the end of the show.
First, they talked about sticky floors. Littlefield argued that people “hate going to movie theaters” because sticky floors are a “common occurrence.” He doesn’t want to see that happen at the Memorial or the Tivoli. Styles didn’t have much to say on that, but our very own City Editor/Movie Critic Aaron Mesh, who has visited the Rave in East Ridge “well over one hundred times” since its early 2005 opening, says he’s encountered sticky floors “maybe twice.” Mesh adds that those two sticky visits did not make him hate going to the theater.
The most puzzling portion of the interview, however, came when Littlefield explained that the reason the recent Al Green show at the Memorial Auditorium was cancelled was because people would have to “be my age to know who Al Green is, almost” and that ticket prices were “pretty high for us.” While his first point is almost too ridiculous to even comment on (the mayor only needs to attend a local prom or watch, say, Pulp Fiction to properly gauge Al Green’s appeal among folks younger than himself), Styles convincingly countered Littlefield by pointing out that the reason ticket prices were so high was because promoters couldn’t sell alcohol and had no choice but to make their money on ticket sales. Littlefield then responded that “we need more people with more money in their pocket to buy tickets and we will do very well.” Perhaps the mayor might want to consider that one way people might wind up with more money in their pockets is by not paying more than they have to for concert tickets.
Styles told Littlefield that, for every act he could name that’s sold out the Tivoli or Memorial lately, he could name 30 bands that “could have sold out that we won’t get because of the alcohol policy.” The mayor mentioned a show by contemporary Christian act, Third Day.
“I was there. It filled the auditorium,” he said.
Time ran out before Styles could list his 30 bands, but to Littlefield’s credit, he did agree to come back on the air to discuss the subject again. He needs to.
Somebody should bring beer.
BlogBeats | By pulseblogger | 10:09 AM
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