The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mentor Rocks crowd responds to protocols
Some people likely taking a wait-and-see approach, officials says
It appears that the first Mentor Rocks show amid the pandemic went off without a hitch.
The season — delayed due to novel coronavirus concerns — kicked off June 30 at the city’s amphitheater with a Michael Jackson tribute band.
“Everything went very well,” Parks & Recreation Director Kenn Kaminski said. “All the precautions that we took were well-received and very appreciated by the concert-goers.”
The summer series, originally set to start June 2, was allowed to get underway after the city received Lake County Health District’s approval of its operations plan.
One of the new restrictions was limiting the spectators to 4,000 people, as well as requiring a 6-foot distance between groups and providing hand sanitizer stations, etc. Previous shows averaged 5,500. Kaminski estimated that about 1,000 people attended this week’s performance.
“Although the crowd was smaller than last year’s concerts, it was a great first concert for us to evaluate the new protocols and make sure all of our operations are in place,” he said.
In fact, he doesn’t anticipate that any changes will be needed for next week, when Heart tribute band Straight On takes the stage.
“We feel very comfortable that we have done everything that we could to make sure the concert-goers are safe and having a great time,” he said.
“I think people wanted to see how the first concert went and how big of a crowd would show up,” he added. “I feel that the crowd will be steadily growing as the weeks go on.”
Four shows were canceled as a result of the coronavirus, and some performers bowed out.
Following the Heart tribute, the remaining schedule is:
• July 14 — Living on a Bad Name (Bon Jovi tribute)
• July 21 — Tricky Dick & the Cover-Ups (Dance/ Party Music)
• July 28 — Kick (INXS Tribute)
• Aug. 4 — Ultimate Aldean (Jason Aldean tribute)
• Aug. 11 — Uptown Funk (Bruno Mars tribute) • Aug. 18 — The Ten Band (Pearl Jam tribute) • Aug. 25 — ESCAPE (Journey tribute)
Mentor Rocks is from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
The Mentor Civic Amphitheater is located at 8600 Munson Road.