DENVER – After a heavy metal music festival rocked Sports Authority Field in Denver last weekend, many neighbors asked 7NEWS if Riot Fest was in violation of Denver’s noise ordinance.
People who said they live as far as three miles away from the event contacted CALL7 Investigator Keli Rabon, complaining that the concert, held in the parking lot of Sports Authority Field, sounded like it was in their front yard.
The CALL7 Investigators checked with Denver police and found “at least” 58 noise complaints were called in to various city departments throughout the weekend. Sports Authority Field received 25 complaints through phone calls and emails during the three-day event.
Denver police said officers from District One measured the sound all weekend long from various locations in the neighborhood surrounding the stadium. But DPD says every time that officers checked the noise levels, Riot Fest was indeed in compliance with the city’s noise ordinance and DPD detected no violations.
Andy Gorchov, General Manager of Sports Authority Field, says event organizers are taking a closer look at the timing and location of all noise complaints it received this weekend to pinpoint the reason the sound from some performers seemed to travel so far, so loudly. Gorchov says they will continue looking for ways to make improvements in the future.
At this point, Gorchov says it’s unclear if Riot Fest will be back in Denver next year.
By Keli Rabon
[Editor’s Note: COMBO certainly hopes that the folks at Riot Fest can get these problems worked out. It is such a fantastic event that really showcases bands and musicians – an event for fans to really enjoy. Pretty sure the people who complained were NOT live music lovers…]