Eyeballs and Earplugs

By Veronica Mackey

The city of Inglewood became a literal epicenter of sound last weekend, as music from the HARD Summer Music Festival could be heard and felt as far as El Segundo (8 miles away) and Redondo Beach (11 miles away). 

Fox11 News reported that South Bay residents were none too pleased about the loud music which emanated from Hollywood Park Grounds at SoFi Stadium, and dominated the air waves August 3-4.

Culver City, Westchester, Playa del Ray, and Lawndale were among other nearby areas impacted by the concert.  Residents complained of unbearable noise, booming vibrations, and migraine headaches resulting from the 2-day Techno music fest, featuring Disclosure, Under Construction, Chris Lake, Nelly Furtado, and many others.

Residents said the noise from SoFi interfered with their ability to hear, sleep and concentrate.  One woman turned up the volume on her television to counteract the music, but said it did little to mitigate the noise.  Aside from venting about the inconvenience on the Next Door app, many called law enforcement and their respective city halls.

Some residents called El Segundo Mayor Drew Boyle’s Office, who in turned called Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts’ Office.   

Butts, who said in a statement that he was aware of noise complaints on Saturday, said he took steps to mitigate the noise at the music festival on Sunday.  He speculated that the loud decibel levels were most likely the result of “atmospheric conditions that allowed it (noise) to travel way to the west. “

HARD summer organizers also issued a statement that they had been in contact with SoFi Stadium management and Mayor Butts, and were working to solve the problem.  A major adjustment made, according to Butts, was to lower the stage.   

“The City regrets any inconvenience caused related to yesterday’s event. This is the first time in 5 years that complaints of this volume have been received,” Butts said Sunday afternoon.

Back in 2018, when SoFi Stadium was just an embryo, Mayor Butts would often comment on the economic indicators of a city’s prosperity as cars and eyeballs.  With that, residents often raised concerns about the downside of said prosperity –noise and traffic.

Let’s hope measures taken by Mayor Butts, concert and stadium officials to abate the noise will hold up when the next mega concert hits Inglewood on August 31.  Fools in Love will take place on the SoFi Grounds, and will feature nearly every major R&B artist since the 1970s, including Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Chaka Khan, Al Green, Santana, the Jacksons, the Isley Brothers, and many more.  See the full lineup at https://foolinlove.com. 

If you’re planning on sitting this one out, you may want to invest in a good set of earplugs or make other plans, just in case.