Concerts get green light

Charlottetown city council voted 7-1 at its monthly meeting Monday to host two weekends of concerts at Confederation Landing Park this summer.

As first reported by The Guardian on Friday, the concerts will be held June 29-30 and July 26-28.

Actual names of performers are yet to be released, but a general description of the performances is adult contemporary and modern music.

Deputy Mayor Mike Duffy was the lone council member to oppose the plan.

Confederation Landing Park seems to be the choice venue when it comes to shows aimed at 5,000 people or less.

It hosted a Canada Day concert in 2015 that featured Kim Mitchell, April Wine and City and Colour.

Coun. Kevin Ramsay, chairman of the city’s intergovernmental affairs and event attraction committee, said it doesn’t make sense to put on a show that will attract, at most, 5,000 people at the Charlottetown Event Grounds which is built to host a maximum of 27,000 people.

“It’s only experimental, only on a trial basis,’’ Ramsay said of this year’s two shows.

“The concert promoter knows that. It seemed to work out good because that’s a nice-sized venue (at Confederation Landing Park).’’

Ramsay acknowledges that not everyone will be happy to hear the waterfront park is being chosen again over a facility that was built specifically to host events.

“If (the promoter) wants to go back next year, then they have to go to the event grounds.’’

Ramsay added that the city and the promoter will be meeting with the Downtown Residents Association just to discuss any issues that they might have.