Booming In Bangor

Officials in Bangor, Maine, are responding to complaints over a recent rock concert at the Bangor Waterfront that went to 11 for some nearby residents.

The May 10 Rise Above Fest, which featured Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, Motorhead, Hellyeah, Trivium, Kyng, Devour The Day, and Black Stone Cherry, was the first event of Bangor’s summer 2014 concert series.

But one concert was enough for some citizens, who’ve asked the city council to come up with a solution to combat the noise.

“I see this as a problem about respect, respect for Bangor residents,” resident Michael Alpert told the Bangor Daily News. “This isn’t just a minor annoyance, this is interfering with people’s lives.”

Photo: facebook.com/maineconcerts

The overall decibel level of the concert stayed within the acceptable range for the city, so officials have partnered with an audio consultant to measure all types of noise – especially low-frequency sounds that carry longer and haven’t been previously monitored, the paper noted.

Tanya Emery, Bangor’s director of community and economic development, explained the concert may have drawn more complaints because it lasted all day, featured heavy rock music and was the first of the year.

The audio consulting company will continue to monitor sound throughout the year and make recommendations to remediate noise, the Daily News reported.

The city’s already made some attempts to do so; improvements were made to the Bangor Waterfront last year that included a new semi-permanent stage and a retaining wall.

The next concert on the books is Tim McGraw, who’s scheduled to play the waterfront May 29.