‘Political Pollution’ of State Tunes Festival Alarmed Some Visitors
Sources have described that the Friday night time ambiance at the Sept. 2-4 Seven Peaks Songs Festival, this year held in Villa Grove, had instances of appropriate-wing demonstrators on the Dwell Nation grounds and a political overtone that it had hardly ever experienced in advance of. The live performance was shut down previously than scheduled on Friday night time. But according to law enforcement, the formal purpose for the early closure wasn’t politics or violence, it was lightning.
An Airbnb guest who stayed in Chaffee County, and who is also a lengthy-time U.S. military services staff attended the live performance. She documented that on Friday evening there ended up demonstrators on the live performance grounds chanting “Let’s Go Brandon” (a version of an obscenity directed at President Joe Biden, as effectively as much more graphic chants) they have been waving Trump indications and accomplice flags. The guest, who questioned not to be identified, mentioned she viewed it as interrupting the ordinarily peaceful, non-political, spouse and children-helpful region tunes occasion. She claimed that from her army perception of the circumstance and the stress in the spot, she sensed that violence could split out, and she still left early.
The Seven Peaks concert headlined by county tunes star Dierks Bentley was reportedly just one of the largest Live Country gatherings held given that the November 2021 Astroworld Music Competition in Houston. At that Houston tragedy, 10 people today died and scores of other folks were being injured right after a group surged all through a Travis Scott general performance.
Other Chaffee County inhabitants who experienced been at two earlier Seven Peaks functions held in Chaffee County attended the function on Friday night time (as properly as other times). They documented that on Friday, the tenting regions of the grounds were crammed with political flags and banners with obscene responses the like of which they experienced in no way seen at earlier Seven Peaks activities.
“There were political flags and banners all in excess of with matters like ‘Save The us 2024’, and ‘Trump 2024’ and far more,” claimed a single camper. “We puzzled how did those flagpoles get in right here? And there were disgusting signals whole of obscenities.”
She added that not only did the Reside Country employees look considerably less than expert (she and her close friends observed employees asleep at checkpoints, appearing drunk, and ignoring unruly habits), but that “we felt this awkward vibe that we have never felt at Seven Peaks right before. It was just off. It did not truly feel like the family-welcoming event it is been in the previous.”
On Saturday morning, the Airbnb visitor mentioned she talked with some of the suppliers on the live performance grounds and one particular verified with regards to the Friday predicament that “‘Things ended up getting strange’.” He stated “we experienced to slash things quick mainly because these guys were being waving confederate flags. It was the Let’s go Brandon people.” According to this seller, “We weren’t ever ready for just about anything like that.”
On Saturday this person claimed that it appeared that flags and banners were being banned from the true concert location, but she did not know if they ended up still permitted in the camping regions.
Dierks Bentley was one of numerous headliners for the Seven Peaks Music Competition on Labor Working day weekend. Courtesy picture.
Live performance organizer Live Nation reportedly satisfied on Saturday early morning, Sept. 3 with county commissioners, the Saguache County Sheriff’s Business office, the Colorado Point out Patrol, as well as citizens and small business house owners, to evaluation the concerns that arose in excess of the Labor Day weekend function. But the prospect of politically enthusiastic disturbances and violence, has not been something that has occurred in the past, and certainly not at a household-oriented occasion.
Phone calls to the Seven Peaks Web site Supervisor have not been returned.
This is the very first yr Dwell Country has held this Labor Working day Weekend concert in Saguache county. For the earlier couple of many years, it has been held on the edge of Buena Vista, at The Meadows in Chaffee County. Past year a disagreement happened when the live performance organizers bought extra tickets than Chaffee County Public Well being allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 competition was canceled and Dwell Nation announced it would move it out of Chaffee County.
More than the a long time of big concerts on the edge of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, the Chaffee Board of County Commissioners, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Dept. the Colorado State Patrol, the Colorado Office of Transportation, and Chaffee EMS discovered rather a whole lot about how to plan for and execute a major concert. Transportation and website traffic are main group disruptions, as effectively as men and women driving less than the affect (DUIs) or acting out under the impact of liquor or medication. But the prospect of political violence or demonstrations has by no means occurred. At minimum not right up until now.
This year Dwell Country said it expected all-around 13,000 enthusiasts to attend in prior years the concert has captivated a crowd of 20,000. Saguache County people had expressed growing dissatisfaction with their county commissioners, some expressing the commissioners manufactured the final decision to approve the pageant for the San Luis Valley without telling residents.
The Saguache Commissioners claimed that notification about the 2022 7 Peaks Tunes Competition was the task of Live Country. They included that it was Stay Country who was to ship letters to Saguache County citizens about the Labor Working day Concert.
Early on, it was reported that Villa Grove and Saguache County had planned for peak situations (translation — targeted visitors into and out of the live performance web-site) with up to 50 added officers, deputies, and troopers on web page. But this incorporated the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Assistance Agents, as well as legislation enforcement from destinations as far away as Fountain. The speed limit on U.S. 285 was quickly decreased to 35 mph as a result of Villa Grove.
Chaffee Sheriff John Spezze confirmed that no Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office personnel were asked to aid, though they and other Chaffee County law enforcement businesses definitely have the most practical experience in the space with concert events of this measurement, and with this particular live performance.
The Seven Peaks New music Pageant ran from September 2 – 4. For extra facts go to: SevenPeaksFestival.com.
Editor’s notice: quite a few Ark Valley Voice reporters contributed to this information piece.