'Made In America' Aftermath Garners Mayor's Praise, Residents' Complaints
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Some 70,000 music fans attended a two-day concert this weekend in the heart of downtown Los Angeles that showcased John Mayer and Kanye West, officials said Monday.
KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta reports while the Budweiser Made in America event was largely considered a success, some downtown residents were thrilled to see crews begin taking down the venue.
'Made In America' Aftermath Garners Mayor's Praise, Residents' Complaints
About 500 people were on the job Monday tearing down the festival, which featured 30 solo performers and bands - including Weezer, Iggy Azalea, Kendrick Lamar and South Gate's own Cypress Hill - in Grand Park and drew a slightly larger crowd Sunday, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti's office.
Ticket holders at Day 2 of the event on Sunday numbered just under 37,500, up from about 34,374 Saturday, said LAPD Officer J. Kim.
A total of 80 arrests or citations were also reported on the concert's second day, more than twice as many arrests and citations than were issued on Day 1, Kim said. The citations included three felonies, 10 misdemeanors and 67 citations, including 35 alcohol and traffic violations, according to Kim.
Almost 50 others were treated for illness or injury and released at the festival while four were transported to hospitals, Kim said.
PHOTO GALLERY: Made In America Festival
In a statement, Mayor Eric Garcetti touted the event as a way to show it's possible to throw a "great party right here in the heart of the city."
"We showed L.A. can do big things for our economy and people's enjoyment," Mayor Garcetti said. "We want leading companies and event organizers to know we're changing L.A. so it's no longer a place where red tape is allowed to stand in the way of jobs, innovation and entertainment."
Garcetti's office estimated the city could see a windfall of $12 million after the ciity of Philadelphia released an economic analysis of the festival there showing a $10 million economic impact.
But some local residents living right near the venue said things got a little too rowdy at times throughout the weekend.
"I'm not anti-concert, I am anti- a lot, a lot of noise," said one man. "It's pretty loud in my apartment."
Others complained about the traffic mess created by several closures surrounding Grand Park.
"Other events have come to us and said, 'Look, we're doing this event, here's free tickets', but this year, Live Nation, Budweiser, you can suck it," another resident said.
Event organizer Live Nation agreed to pay for any damage to public property as well as pay $500,000 to the city to cover policing and related services for the concert to reimburse costs to taxpayers.
Live Nation also will pay $600,000 for the use of the county-owned Grand Park, which is run by The Music Center.
Grand Park will remain closed until Tuesday.
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