Miami Mayor will ask Bayfront Park officials and event promoters to stop Ultra at WMC

[Jewels]

Posted on Mon, Mar. 10, 2003

Diaz tries to unplug show over drug fears
Promoters to meet mayor, consider suit
BY DAPHNE DURET


Miami Mayor Manny Diaz's last-minute bid to cancel a Bayfront Park festival scheduled for March 22 has pitted him against the promoters of the electronic music event expected to draw tens of thousands of people.

At a meeting scheduled for noon today, Diaz will ask Bayfront Park officials and event promoters to stop the fifth annual Ultra Electronic Music Festival.

If they can't reach an agreement with Diaz by the end of today's meeting, lawyers for Ultra say they will be forced to sue the city, especially since promoters have already spent more than $600,000 on the event and have another $1 million in contracts.

They have also sold thousands of tickets for $40 to $60 each and signed an agreement to produce live broadcasts at the event, promoters said.

If the festival goes on as scheduled, though, promoters expect such artists as Underworld, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Hybrid and Seb Fountaine.

The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. March 22 and end at 1 a.m. the next day.

The problem comes just two weeks before the event. Diaz's office cited concerns about possible widespread drug use as the reason to stop the event. Promoters said those concerns are unfounded. They said they only heard of the mayor's plan to cancel the event at a meeting Thursday at City Hall.


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[Blue]

I <3 Miami Politicians...

IT'S MIAMI!!!

Widespread drug use is always going on down there. It is one of the major point of entries for drug trafficing.

wow no ultra? if ultra goes down fuckabunchaWMC.

[Gabriel]

I am Jack's cold sweat...

[The Evil Couch]

Originally posted by Russ
wow no ultra? if ultra goes down fuckabunchaWMC.

I'm surprised you didn't notice and comment that the first performer mentioned was underworld.

and seriously, it's not like it's a big underground thing. it's open and widely publicized.

come unglued from your TV set and realize that there's more to electronic music than this evil warehouse rave thing, with that ecstasy stuff.

i dont get your point, couch.

i know underworld's going.

jive is, for the first year, pressed in to ultra.

the streets will be there, as well. i want ultra to happen.

what did i say or do wrong?

[The Evil Couch]

you didn't say, "OMG LOOK!

Underworld, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Hybrid and Seb Fountaine.

UNDERWORLD GOT TOP BILLING OVER EVERYONE!"

that's all.

[mation]

Musical politics in Miami

Russell Faibisch was stunned.

The Ultra Electronic Music festival promoter listened in disbelief Friday as Miami Mayor Manny Diaz pledged to do everything in his power to stop Faibisch's daylong concert, which was expected to draw upwards of 30,000 to Bayfront Park on March 22.

Faibisch, who was already in the hole for at least $600,000 in expenses, had been planning the concert for almost a year with the city's support. If the mayor made good on his threat, Faibisch was facing bankruptcy. In his meeting with the mayor, Faibisch offered to do anything the mayor wanted. If the mayor was worried about illegal drug use at the concert, Faibisch would double the number of off-duty cops scheduled to work the event and increase fencing. Whatever the mayor wanted, he would get.

The mayor seemed uninterested in the promoter's offers, according to Faibisch's attorney, Jeff Weiner. When the meeting ended, Faibisch realized there was only one thing to do. That night, Faibisch hired lobbyist Rodney Barreto.

On Monday, the board of directors for Bayfront Park voted to allow the concert to move forward...

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...de/5362147.htm

I'm really not into the whole sardine can, 8 sound systems at once (of which you can hear 3 at any given point unless your head is in a speaker), dammit I already missed everyone I came here to see type of event, which Ultra has become, but dammit, don't go shutting down a party for all the wrong reasons. The best part of the article is where the mayor starts backtracking, saying he never wanted to stop the party, just make the public aware of the problem with ecstacy, "He felt a moral resposibility"...my ass. 30,000 people there last year, less than 60 arrests and 4 people taken to the hospital...seems the problem is rampant, damn evil electronic music and druggies. Gosh this guy has got it wrong.

fuckin moron

[The Evil Couch]

great. one small step for WMC, one giant leap for Ultra...or something. it's about time the politicians realized that we can strike back and play their own game back to them.

I wonder it we can get anyone on Capitol Hill to put some pressure to the new RAVE bill's sponsors.

[Low Tek]

''I think we achieved a lot of goals here,'' Diaz said.

And the biggest may have been making Manny Diaz look good in front of a whole lot of television cameras.

Yeah I can't wait to see who will win the next election he's in.

Moron.

[Jewels]

Originally posted by Russ
jive is, for the first year, pressed in to ultra.

Actually, it's JIVE's third year being pressed in. In 2001 Low and I attended (see past articles) as press via Coolworld. In 2002 Dave and Dawn Gluskin were pressed in (there article went to the print issue last June).

This is Russ's first year, however being pressed in so he's allowed to be enthusiastic. It's a great festival to go to.

[Piper]

Pfft.

As if JIVE existed before Russ. Pshaw!

(Marks 'snide comment for the month' off his to-do list)

[xlr8]

Pfft.

As if JIVE existed before Russ. Pshaw!

(Marks 'snide comment for the month' off his to-do list)

Well- JIVE definitely existed before Russ. But it earned super-cool status when they put a Progressive-head as editor.

[Jewels]

Originally posted by Piper
Pfft.

As if JIVE existed before Russ. Pshaw!

(Marks 'snide comment for the month' off his to-do list)

thank you Ty.