"I can't tell you which building it was," he tells the Pitch, with more than a little annoyance coloring his tone, "because it's completely illegal. Yeah, they were up on the roof. They're lucky they didn't fall through."
With seven more nights of outdoor concerts at the Crossroads scheduled for the summer, the opportunities are ripe for scamming free sneak peeks at acts such as Lucinda Williams (July 14) or G Love and Special Sauce (August 18) from the vantage point of a well-placed rooftop. When the elements are right — a landlord's permission, some solid footing, a clear view and good weather — this version of concert-attending brings new meaning to the phrase cheap seats.
A few weeks after the Marley show, an estimated 8,500 people poured into the River Market to see the Killers. It was a gorgeous spring night, and the streets were alive with happy voices and puddles of spilled cocktails. It's not an exaggeration to guess that another 1,000 people, too cheap to pay $30 or too late to get into the sold-out show, enjoyed the view from alternative locations.
I joined a party of about 70 to listen to the Killers from the roof of the lofts at 509 Delaware. There wasn't much watching going on because the musicians appeared as four specks on the brilliantly lighted stage, but the lyrics of each song wafted up, crystal clear. People sang along fearlessly and chatted with one another between trips to friends' lofts on lower floors when cups needed refilling. And if there wasn't much to look at as far as the performance went, the city skyline to the south was breathtaking all on its own.
E. Alan Waterman, the project manager for DE Lofts LLC, says the rooftops at his developments could be turned into official concert-watching spots in the future, if landlords or owners are willing. "DE Lofts has plated the rooftops of 309 and 509 Delaware so they can be sold to a condominium owner or be converted to a deck later on," he says.
Pitch writer Justin Kendall watched the Killers show from another angle and had a similar experience. From the three-story Pacific House building at 401 Delaware, Kendall had a straight shot of the Steamboat Arabia Museum and the backs of concertgoers' heads. At first, he says, the party people jockeyed for a place to stand — 20 or 30 of them crowding the fire escape — before realizing that they would be unable to see the stage and settling in to chat and drink. Nobody seemed to mind the conversation, especially in light of the free beer.
One can almost imagine a future in which the roofs surrounding outdoor venues are lined with chairs, and landlords serve brews and food to paying customers — kind of like the rooftops surrounding Wrigley Field in Chicago.
But that future is a long way off. For now, adventurous climbers must dodge Stretch.
He doesn't fault building owners for allowing people to roof it, but he'd rather see music fans buy tickets and support the bands and the venue.
"If people in the neighborhood climb onto rooftops, great. If they do it without the owners' permission, well, there's consequences involved," Stretch says.
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I LIVE in the building that the picture was taken from.
That is where I call HOME.
Getting on our roof is not as easy as it's made to look.
I've been up there before.
You have to climb a 20 ft ladder off of a secondary roof that happens to be somebody's freaking ceiling.
With what I pay to live here - I'm not real entusiastic about having a bunch of drunk assholes hanging off of my firescape and cavorting about on the roof of my building.
If you think I'm being a reactionary - ask yourself this question.
How would YOU feel about having 8-10 thousand peeps in YOUR backyard?
Beer bottles everywhere, people parking in your private parking lot, screaming and yelling when the concert ends.
I've been down here for more than a decade and I hate these concerts.
Only in Kansas City can a bunch of people think it's "cool" to gather on a 6 story roof when it's 100+ degrees to watch some shitty concert.
I heard the Killers that night - they sucked - they should have been killed.
I LIVE in the building that the picture was taken from. That is where I call HOME. Getting on our roof is not as easy as it's made to look. I've been up there before. You have to climb a 20 ft ladder off of a secondary roof that happens to be somebody's freaking ceiling. With what I pay to live here - I'm not real entusiastic about having a bunch of drunk assholes hanging off of my firescape and cavorting about on the roof of my building. If you think I'm being a reactionary - ask yourself this question. How would YOU feel about having 8-10 thousand peeps in YOUR backyard? Beer bottles everywhere, people parking in your private parking lot, screaming and yelling when the concert ends. I've been down here for more than a decade and I hate these concerts. Only in Kansas City can a bunch of people think it's "cool" to gather on a 6 story roof when it's 100+ degrees to watch some shitty concert. I heard the Killers that night - they sucked - they should have been killed.
stretch is an annoying munchkin who still believes it's fashionable to wear sunglasses at night, and doesn't realize most people in the kansas city area are annoyed by his fowl odorous presence. he has no place to make any comments about legal matters when he has had bonfires without fire permits, lead parades without parade permits, and most recently had to have someone else build a stage he promised but couldn't deliver.
almost like a dimwitted badguy in a childrens show he stumbles through this city believing everbody adores him when in truth they are all waiting for him to leave. all so they can watch the napoleonic twit climb into his hummer, and giggle at how small the suv makes him look. as everyone in kansas city is aware of the little mans obsession with large objects. take the sculptures he's littered kansas city with for example.
as he indicated with the ticket remark, i'm sure he's more interested in making more money off of unsuspecting musicians than he is the safety of people who climb onto rooftops to watch a band perform.
stretch is an annoying munchkin who still believes it's fashionable to wear sunglasses at night, and doesn't realize most people in the kansas city area are annoyed by his fowl odorous presence. he has no place to make any comments about legal matters when he has had bonfires without fire permits, lead parades without parade permits, and most recently had to have someone else build a stage he promised but couldn't deliver. almost like a dimwitted badguy in a childrens show he stumbles through this city believing everbody adores him when in truth they are all waiting for him to leave. all so they can watch the napoleonic twit climb into his hummer, and giggle at how small the suv makes him look. as everyone in kansas city is aware of the little mans obsession with large objects. take the sculptures he's littered kansas city with for example. as he indicated with the ticket remark, i'm sure he's more interested in making more money off of unsuspecting musicians than he is the safety of people who climb onto rooftops to watch a band perform.
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