Is Sundown in the City a victim of its own success? After the enormous crowd and massive traffic tie-ups that attended Thursday night's Blues Traveler show on Market Square, the future of the event is again the subject of discussion. You can find multiple perspectives on this KnoxBlab thread, including this from Sundown creator/promoter Ashley Capps:
Sundown has indeed become quite a challenge. I agree that it needs to be reinvented in some manner. We have our own concerns.
We were completely prepared to cancel Sundown altogether this year. In fact, that was the initial gameplan, which we had discussed with the City and some representatives of Market Square merchants.
However, when we had a sit down meeting with Market Square merchants, members of the Market Square District Association, to discuss this...it was UNANIMOUS that they wanted Sundown to continue. I was there. UNANIMOUS. No one wanted to see it stop.
We have also taken considerable flack from some Market Square merchants who were not at that meeting for reducing the number of events to 5. One in particular said that he had chosen to open his business on Market Square with the expectation that Sundown would be something that he could count on.
Unfortunately, it's hard to maintain just the right balance for determining how many people will show up. And it has virtually been a given that it would not be acceptable to charge a ticket for people to come onto the Square (for instance, what if they ONLY want to go to dinner at La Costa?).
We try smaller, lesser known acts and people complain that there are no big names. We bring in big names and people complain that its too crowded. We bring in less known names and no one shows up and we lose money and our sponsors are unhappy.
It's a tough one.
UPDATE: More in this Citybeat article.
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