Compromise On Coventry Grove

The long-running dispute between former Bill Graham Presents exec Danny Scher and his Kensington, Calif., neighbors over fund-raising concerts at his 300-seat backyard amphitheatre has ended, if not resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

Contra Costa County’s Board of Supervisors approved a temporary events ordinance October 12th which applies to all unincorporated areas that will allow Scher to continue staging concerts at his home – with restrictions.

Future events may benefit nonprofit organizations with commercial events prohibited. To date, Scher has held fund-raisers for the Berkeley High Jazz Band and former presidential candidate John Kerry. They’ve featured artists including Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal playing strictly acoustical sets in the forested shed.

Scher is now also limited to a single annual event of up to 300 attending, and he must obtain a permit for each concert.

The former promoter would have preferred no restrictions – and especially no permits – at all. Some of his neighbors, however, lobbied supervisors to stop the concerts altogether.

“I agreed to this and worked on it with the county just to bring some closure,” Scher told Pollstar. “You still have to get a permit to do a political fund-raiser at your home. But I have the total support of the police and fire department.

“This has never been about me being a nuisance. This has been about me simply doing a fund-raiser at my house, and it took four years to get to this.”

During the four years that concerts have been held at the amphitheatre – called Coventry Grove – Scher has amassed some $800 in fines, which he intends to appeal.

– Deborah Speer