Residents at Town Hall Pepper Rose Bowl Chiefs About Arroyo Seco Weekend Music Festival at Town Hall

The upcoming Arroyo Seco Weekend Music Festival took center stage Monday evening at Council member Tyron Hampton’s District 1 Town Hall meeting, held in an official locker room of the historic Rose Bowl, as constituents and local residents peppered Rose Bowl officials on the details of the two-day event.

Daryl Dunn, CEO, and Chief Operating Officer George Cunningham of the Rose Bowl Operating Company, updated the residents on the latest development in the festival logistics, including traffic and sound control.

The festival, which will take place Saturday, June 24, and Sunday, June 25, will feature Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers as the headlining act, along with Weezer, Dawes and the Alabama Shakes, will take place Saturday on three stages directly on the Brookside Golf Course property to the north of the stadium, with the Rose Bowl to the south, essentially serving as a backdrop.

As previously reported by Pasadena Now, at least one-third of the participating restaurants and vendors will be Pasadena-based, and the festival is still seeking local vendors, who may contact the festival organizers through the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, or through Martha Saucedo, executive vice president of external affairs for AEG, parent owners of Goldenvoice, the festival promoters.

The Arroyo Seco Weekend will also partner with local arts groups, including the Pasadena Armory for the Arts, A Noise Within Theatre, and the Side Street Projects arts organization. In addition, Vroman’s Bookstore will serve as the festival’s “official library,” organizing “little libraries,” as well as operating a book store selling titles related to the City’s history, achievements arts and culture, said Adler.

Along with the cultural partners, the event will also also be partnering with Metro, as well as Uber and Lyft, much in the same way the two ride-share groups have worked with the Coachella Arts & Music Festival.

Free bike valet parking will also be provided. No tailgating will be allowed.

Rose Bowl officials expect a crowd of 35,000 each of the two festival days.
“Less,” Cunningham explained, “than a typical UCLA football game.”

As Dave Revel, CEO of Technical Multimedia Design, also explained to the group, the sound levels will be constantly monitored throughout the show from nearly a dozen spots in and around the Arroyo. Should sound levels increase to a sustained 75db over 15 minutes, the producers artists will be immediately notified. Acts which do not cooperate in maintaining sound levels “will be fined,” said Revel.

The festival will run from noon to11 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to10 p.m. on Sunday.

The festival discussion came following a crime update presentation by Police Chief Phillip Sanchez and Lt. John Mercado.

Sanchez updated the residents on the fates of Jerron Donald Harris, 29, of Pasadena, and Larry Darnell Bishop, 24, of Chino, who each received sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Christmas Day 2012 shooting of 49-year-old Victor J. McClinton of Pasadena, McClinton had been saying goodbye to friend outside his home at about 11 a.m. that day when he became caught in gang crossfire.

The shooters had opened fire on a rival gang member, who was wounded in the shooting, according to Pasadena police officials and prosecutors. McClinton, who was struck by an errant bullet from the gang-related attack, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

Sanchez also noted a recent letter from the head of the Los Angeles office of the department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, telling local law enforcement officials of a “disturbing trend” in police officers selling weapons without the proper permits.

Sanchez acknowledged that a Pasadena Police officer had been recently placed on administrative leave with pay, and had weapons seized from his home, but would not identify the officer.

Mercado noted in his presentation that while many local crime numbers were dropping, cases of domestic violence, auto theft and residential burglaries were rising.

Mercado pointed out that owners of mid-90s Hondas and Toyotas might be susceptible to theft, as a new round of key blanks for those models have been circulating locally. According to Mercado, the stolen cars have been showing up in the South Bay section of Los Angeles County, for some reason.

‘Lock your cars, park them in a garage if you can, or use a steering wheel lock,” he advised.

Wendy De Leon, customer relations manager for Pasadena Water and Power also presented a wide array of savings programs available from and through Pasadena Water and Power, ranging from over 20 different home improvement items, to Home energy usage reports, to bill-paying assistance for low-income residents.