ROGERS -- The first public event at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion on Saturday appears to have gone smoothly for concert attendees, police and nearby neighbors.
"We didn't receive a single complaint call Saturday during the concert," said Hayes Minor, captain of patrol and criminal investigation for the Rogers Police Department.
What’s Next
Upcoming concerts at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion include:
• Darius Rucker, June 20
• Dierks Bentley, June 28, which is sold out
• Willie Nelson, Allison Krauss and Union Station, July 7
Source: Staff Report
"From our perspective, everything was fantastic. The AMP crew did a great job of directing cars in the parking lot and moving the traffic to the streets after the concert," Minor said.
The concert ended about 9:50 p.m. and the parking lots and roads leading away from the venue, south of Embassy Suites, were cleared by 10:30 p.m., Minor said.
"We had 12 officers directing traffic, and other officers moving from location to location to check the noise level. None of the officers reported any problems or loud noise coming from the AMP," Minor said.
Carey Anderson, assistant to Mayor Greg Hines, was one of the sellout crowd attending the Blake Shelton concert.
"The AMP is a very impressive place. You could hear the music, but it wasn't loud. My husband and I really enjoyed the show," Anderson said.
David Lang, general manager of Embassy Suites, said there were no problems with sound or traffic at the hotel.
"I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of noise. We were full Saturday night, but didn't receive any complaints from guests about the noise. It was really low key," Lang said.
Lang said it was hard to judge beforehand what the sound or the traffic might be because it was the first show at the new venue.
"You never really know how it's going to go until that first show. Well, the first show is over, and everything couldn't have gone smoother, in my opinion. The city and the Walmart AMP people did an excellent job. I'm looking forward to the remaining season," Lang said.
Dana Lawrence, who lives in the Pinnacle Country Club near the AMP, said she didn't hear anything during the concert.
Lawrence said she was shopping at the Pinnacle Hills Promenade when staff did the sound check Saturday afternoon, and she heard the music.
"It wasn't loud, but I could hear it. We live on the south side of Pinnacle. I went outside about 8 p.m. and didn't hear any music from the AMP," Lawrence said.
She said she is happy the venue is in Rogers.
"It a great place for culture and entertainment. I think it's going to make a big difference. We might even get more places that offer entertainment," Lawrence said.
The Walmart AMP is designed to keep as much of the sound inside, but it is an open air venue, and some sound did filter across the interstate, according to police.
"There were some people parked in cars by Best Buy and at Mercy Hospital. I assume they were listening to the music coming from the pavilion. I can't imagine they would be parked there if they couldn't hear the concert," Minor said.
Calls were made Monday morning to the main number of the Walton Arts Center, which oversees the Walmart AMP, asking for comment on the first show. A second was made to a cellphone of a public relations staff member. The same calls were made in the afternoon. No calls were returned.
Calls were also made Monday morning and afternoon to Mercy Hospital representatives asking for comment. Those calls were not returned.
NW News on 06/10/2014