So the downstairs Neumo's VIP room is closed.

Whew.

For a sec I thought you said Moe's VIP room was closed ...

This is part of the same policy that is leading to the SPD "discussing" obscenity laws with the Gay bars on the Hill. Until the Mayor or Council decide that live music and nightlife are important elements of a city, this will continue. It's policy. Keep people off the street at night and the crime rate will go down - doesn't matter if the people on the street are committing crimes or not, their presence leads to higher crime rates. This is a national trend in Policing and is a continuation of the Sidran era "broken windows" philosophy and of the City Attorney and SPD setting and promoting their own policy rather than the Mayor or Council doing so.

This policy shows a complete disregard for Constitutional rights to free assembly. But that disregard is par for the course from this City, right in line the decision to fight the court's ruling on postering. Unless people fight back and let the Council know this is a disgusting policy, it will get far worse.

Hopefully there's a good attorney out there seeing the opportunity to run next election.

Its the same fucking thing, Will.

Again with the hyperlinks to other Stranger articles? Validation by self-reference! Jonah, you're an embarrassment even to the low bar set by the Stranger.

What the hell are you talking about, Frederick?

oh, poopies. where we gonna have the next slog happy hour? jonah, quit swearin'. you talk to your mother like that?

Dave, you need to lay off the pipe for a while. This paranoia shit is getting tired.

meinart; the city also has a board that denies people the ability to design buildings they want them to look. so far all i've heard from people on the stranger is that the government is the voice of the people, and if people want to do things in this city they need to listen to the voice of the people and follow the rules of the government.

what say you about the people of slog who advocate government dickwhipping of certain businesses vs. the government dickwhipping of others?

Fuck. FUCK. I'm supposed to go to a big ol' party there this weekend, and I can tell you that 223 people in the main room feels like nothing. I was hoping for 800 sweaty boys packed in there. But the city doesn't wasn't that; it doesn't fit into McCheese's vision of density.

Jonah,

Shouldn't that last sentence of yours read, "For now, expect to see plenty of shows FILLED ONLY TO LEGAL CAPACITY until things get straightened out." ?

Let's be clear about the context here. Or do you support the contention that the pack-'em-in-like-sardines model Neumo's has been following thusfar in fact represents LEGAL capacity?

'Cause that's what really seems to be at-issue here, right? And FWIW, do we KNOW what their rated capacity is, AND do we know how many tickets Neumo's typically sells for a "sold out" show?

I would think those numbers would be very relevent to the discussion, don't you?

FNARF: "The Hell" I'm talking about is this rag's penchant for "it's true because I reported it" "reporting". Yes, that word is in quotes -- the slog portends to be a news source, no matter the bend. Jonah is not the worst of this bunch (E.B., D.S. and E.G. lead the way), but I did feel it worth mentioning seeing as how the fervor of the Neumos/City Regulations pitch is getting so high in here. COMTE puts it more plainly (see above) when he asks for (gulp!) FACT CHECKS before railing against a system this writer evidently knows little about. Again, just because you reference your own material doesn't make it true.

Frederick, It's true, but then again some people enjoy the smell of their own shit so I say let them sniff Neumo's ass all they want.

So let me get this right:

Neumos legal capacity is only about 299, yet for some reason they think they have the right to sell 800 tickets to a show?!?

And somehow, when they get caught and are called out on it, suddenly Neumos is "being persecuted" by the city and it's some sort of "conspiracy theory" because really they're just so very, very much for free speech and love and puppies and all that shit... so why does everyone have to be such big bad meanies to them???

Is that the gist of it here? Really??

Two words: Pleea - eeazze!!!

If the owners of a Seattle sports team were selling twice as many tickets as they knew they could legally hold in their stadium, what adjectives would The Stranger use in describing those owners?

"Money grubbing"? "Opportunistic"? "Corrupt"? "Shady"? "Fraudulent"? "Criminal"?

...you tell me.

p.s. And as far as "special attention" goes -- do a survey. EVERY club on the Hill has been getting the same exact kind of scrutiny as Neumos. The only difference is that the other clubs have been investing their time in fixing their problems and getting right with the law, whereas it seems Steven Rodham Severin thinks his time is really better spent in whining about the unfair treatment he's getting.

(Or who knows, maybe the SPD just thinks they need to watch Neumos & Chop Suey closer because they know those clubs are cheap, and pay their security staff $2.00 less and hour than every other club on the Hill!)

You know what we need? State run bars to go along with the state run liquor stores. They will have low capacities, foam-edged bars and play music and show videos that won't offend anyone.

Then everyone will be happy.

@2: Does having less people on the streets make things safer? I don't know statistics on this but I know I've always felt least safe when the streets were mostly empty.

@13

I think there might be an opportunity for you as a staff writer for the Stranger.

- angry? hmm possibly
- bolding? check

That should cover it.

The Avett Bros. show I went to there was ridiculously crowded. It was horribly hot and miserable, plus it cost more than $25! Never again. Also, if you buy tickets at the venue in advance, why is there a significant service charge? I love the acts they book there, but they need to get their shit together.

Frederick, there is nothing wrong with linking to your own previous article. Every single hyperlink isn't required to be a reference to an independent source. Sometimes links are there to give the those who aren't up to speed the full background.

The sad thing is, what external sources are there to link to on this story? Nobody else cares.

marko, did you pay the service charge? well there you go.

"...misinterpreted the city’s capacity regulations..."

You're kidding, right? If this were a place you didn't have such a hard-on for I bet your phrasing would be more like "...displayed a blatant disregard for public safety in the interest of maximizing profits."

I'm not a fan of this city's shitty attitude towards nightlife but coming down on a club that is breaking the law by overcrowding an elderly venue with an inadequate infrastructure doesn't seem unreasonable as long as the motives are clear and justified. Neumo's has long been one of those venues where a sensible person should always be aware of where the exits are in case of fire, quake or dehydration/asphyxiation 'cause it's always seemed like a deathtrap waiting to happen.

I see lots of "never again Neumo's" comments because it was too packed at a particular event. Honest question: what clubs do these people still patronize to see live music?

I think the only venue in town that doesn't sell over it's legal capacity is El Corazon.

that downstairs "VIP" room is a death trap - or at least it was during Decibel Festival last year.

el p was real empty and it made me sad. i am not looking forward to these changes.