Controversy continues as Coldplay breaks concert curfew at Levi's Stadium

Byby Janine De la Vega KGO logo
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Controversy continues as Coldplay breaks concert curfew at Levi's Stadium
To the delight of fans, Coldplay broke the 10 p.m. curfew at Levi's Stadium Wednesday night -- but the controversy continues as stadium management and city officials argue about time limits on concerts.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- To the delight of fans, Coldplay broke the 10 p.m. curfew at Levi's Stadium Wednesday night -- but the controversy continues as stadium management and city officials argue about time limits on concerts.

RELATED: Levi's Stadium officials say more concerts will be canceled if curfew remains

As Coldplay fans entered Levi's Stadium, they were ready for a late night. "I would expect them to go to 11 or 12, probably -- I mean I wish forever," said fan Amber Bennett.

City officials refused to extend the weeknight curfew at the stadium from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. The 49ers say Levi's is the only major venue in California to have such strict restrictions.

"We were here for U2 and it ran over -- I know it was a problem," said music fan Yale Curtis.

When asked if they thought it was going to happen again, Curtis' wife said, "I hope so. I want as much Coldplay as I can get."

The curfew wasn't the only thing being monitored Wednesday night. There was a heavy police presence. Stadium management took note of the mass shooting in Las Vegas Sunday night.

RELATED: Ed Sheeran concert at Levi's Stadium canceled over curfew

"We're fully prepared. We're fully staffed to keep every concert-goer safe," said Santa Clara Police Lt. Dan Moreno.

The band took the stage at 8:55 p.m. which left an hour and five minutes for the band to perform without breaking the curfew.

Once the concert began, ABC7 News visited a neighborhood to see how loud it was. The thumping from the concert could be heard. The allowed limit inside the venue for concerts is 105 decibels.

The meter measured as high as 71 decibels.

"It really gets very loud, sometimes when we close all the doors you can still hear it in the home," said Kiran Bulusu, who lives behind Levi's Stadium. "It's very difficult to sleep, especially for the kids."

The city says it will fine stadium management between $750 to $1,000.

"It does send a signal that we are going to be looking at the details of the management arrangement very seriously," said Santa Clara City Councilwoman Teresa O'Neil.

RELATED: U2 breaks concert curfew in Santa Clara

The council is launching an outreach campaign in the coming weeks to get feedback from residents to see if changes need to be made.

The San Francisco 49ers issued a statement saying: Public safety officials have been clear that abruptly ending a concert could create a public safety emergency. We followed their direction as it related to the event. We are concerned that concerts may not come to Levi's Stadium again unless the music ban is resolved in a way that works for everyone. We have already lost one event and will continue to lose more, costing thousands of local jobs, millions of dollars in needed revenue, and the world-class entertainment options that other major cities enjoy.