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Bon Iver concert Aug. 5, 2023 at Breese Stevens Field
A packed crowd gathered for Bon Iver on Aug. 5, 2023, at Breese Stevens Field.
More concerts could be coming to Breese Stevens Field next summer as venues in Milwaukee are occupied by the Republican National Convention.
Big Top Events asked the Madison Board of Park Commissioners for permission to hold up to 12 concerts at the outdoor east-side venue in 2024; the company’s 10-year agreement with the city allows it to hold up to seven concerts a year there. Commissioners supported an increase of up to 10 concerts next year.
“I can support a modest increase for this year, but I don't support adding five more concerts until we work on some fixes to the concerns raised in the survey,” Ald. Marsha Rummel, who represents the area, said in written remarks to the commission. In a survey of neighborhood residents, some cited concerns about noise, parking and pedestrian safety connected to events at Breese Stevens.
Last year, Big Top also petitioned successfully to hold up to 10 concerts at Breese, but only held six, according to Assistant Parks Superintendent CJ Ryan. The venue has a 10 p.m. curfew for concerts.
Some isthmus residents who live near the field aren’t thrilled with any additional concerts. “The city has no obligation to compromise with Big Top,” says Andrew Yonda, a songwriter who lives on Dayton Street. “An unreasonable request doesn't deserve a compromise.”
Yonda says the process to approve more concerts happened too quickly and did not give the neighborhood time to formulate a response. He says the noise from concerts keeps his 4-year-old daughter awake at night. “The priority should be what benefits the residents of Madison.”
Ryan says that 75% of those who responded to the survey of 259 neighborhood residents said they were either supportive or neutral about additional concerts.
“Commissioners were looking to find a balance between the benefits concerts at Breese bring to the field and the rest of the city and the impacts to the neighborhood,” says Ryan.
In its request to add additional concerts next year, Big Top said that “market conditions for the 2024 concert season have created a unique situation where the opportunity may exist to source more concerts than a normal year.” The company said that none of the additional concerts would take place on school nights.
“We recognize that Breese Stevens Field is in a neighborhood and that it is important to work with the city and the neighbors to find a balance in the programming of events at Breese,” Conor Caloia, Big Top's chief operating officer, says in a statement to Isthmus. He says the company will work with Rummel and the neighborhood association on addressing congestion and parking during concerts. Each additional concert above the allotted seven would also trigger a $10,000 use fee paid to the city.
This year’s six concerts at Breese Stevens Field included well-known national acts like Weezer, The Doobie Brothers, and Brandi Carlile, as well as Wisconsin’s own Bon Iver. REO Speedwagon, The Avett Brothers with Willie Nelson, and Lady A with Boyz II Men have played in previous years.
