No More Weeknight Concerts At Levi's Stadium Over Curfew Dispute
SANTA CLARA (CBS SF) – The San Francisco 49ers have notified Santa Clara city officials that it would no longer hold weeknight concerts at Levi's Stadium after next week's Coldplay show, amid an ongoing dispute over the city's 10 p.m. curfew on weeknights.
Team president Al Guido said in a letter obtained by KPIX 5 that future weeknight concerts won't be booked at the stadium, saying that ensuring concerts end before the curfew is "not possible" and is "out of line with national tours."
Guido then said "another major artist" has approached the stadium for a weeknight concert that won't play at a venue that stops play before 11:00 p.m.
"Unless we receive clarity from the Stadium Authority that the City Manager will grant the exceptions provided for under our agreements or the Authority will otherwise allow these events to be booked, the opportunity to book this event, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue to the City and Authority that would come with it, will be lost," he said.
The disagreement over the stadium curfew could cost the city of Santa Clara big money.
Councilmember Patricia Mahan told KPIX 5 the city could easily cover the city's budget deficit with half a dozen concerts.
"So I don't understand why our city council is making such an issue of this other than out of pure vindictiveness against the 49ers," said Mahan. "Trying to make it an issue when it's really not."
Kathleen Watanabe represents the neighbors near the stadium.
When asked how she would respond to critics who say she is difficult to work with and bears a grudge against the 49ers, she replied, "This is not political. We are here to do the right thing on behalf of the neighbors that are really impacted by the stadium."
Sandra Dailey, the owner of a local catering business, saId canceling weekday concerts will cost her thousands of dollars in lost income.
"I was pissed!" exclaimed Dailey. "We need to come together as a city to make sure we can support and generate income."
The promoter of next Wednesday's Coldplay show has been notified about the 10 p.m. curfew, the team said. In the event the show goes past 10 p.m., the team said it would coordinate with law enforcement and transit agencies to ensure safety for patrons and stadium neighbors.
Early Wednesday morning, the Santa Clara City Council denied a request to extend the curfew.
On Monday, the team said musician Ed Sheeran canceled a 2018 concert at Levi's Stadium because of the restriction.