Should minors be allowed at music venues serving alcohol?

BY KAREN SLOAN
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

If people under 21 can't attend concerts in Omaha, the city's nationally recognized music scene will suffer.

That's the message musicians and club owners sent to the City Council on Tuesday during a public hearing on an ordinance that would allow music venues to continue to admit minors during concerts.

Without the ordinance, venues like the Slowdown in north downtown and the Waiting Room in Benson could be forced to shut minors out of performances.

"It's very important to the artists . . . to be able to play to an all-ages audience," said Marc Liebowitz, co-owner of the Waiting Room. "If we had to take a step backwards, it would really put Omaha at a disadvantage."

That argument did little to convince members of several anti-drinking groups that those under 21 should be allowed to go to concerts where alcohol is sold.

"It is - at every level - a bad idea," said Diane Riibe, executive director of Project Extra Mile, which works to fight underage drinking.

Riibe and others told the council that no amount of security measures can ensure that minors don't drink at concert venues, and the Omaha Police Department doesn't have the manpower to enforce such measures even if they are adopted.

The issue stems from a gray area in Omaha's liquor laws. Bars are prohibited from admitting minors. But facilities such as the Qwest Center Omaha, the Sokol Auditorium, the Orpheum Theater and social halls are allowed to serve alcohol and admit minors.

The Slowdown and the Waiting Room fall somewhere in between.

Both businesses hold all-ages concerts where alcohol is served but operate as stand-alone bars when no shows are booked. Minors aren't allowed in when no concerts are scheduled.

Deputy City Attorney Tom Mumgaard said that since the Slowdown and the Waiting Room make most of their money from alcohol sales, they fall under the rules for bars, meaning that no minors should be admitted. The club owners have interpreted the law differently, believing that they were exempt from the no-minors rule.

The proposed ordinance, which was introduced by Councilman Jim Suttle, would clarify the situation by creating a new category of businesses called music venues.

The music venues would be allowed to admit minors as long as they followed certain security measures, such as having wristbands for those 21 and older and serving alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks in different glasses.

Opponents of the ordinance said they are worried that those over 21 will purchase alcohol and pour it into the glasses of minors. They also told the council that minors would be at a greater risk of drinking and driving if the ordinance were approved.

"This speaks to a tragedy waiting to happen," Riibe said.

David Jacobson, an attorney representing the Slowdown and the Waiting Room, said neither business has been ticketed by police for serving minors.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal Tuesday.

Councilmen Dan Welch and Jim Vokal said they hadn't decided if they will vote for the ordinance, but both said the current law needs to be modified.

"Is it fair to tell them (the Slowdown and the Waiting Room) that they can't have alcohol around minors when the Orpheum, the Qwest Center, bowling allies and social halls can?" Welch asked.

The council heard from several musicians who said that attending concerts as teenagers is what inspires many to pursue music and that shutting out teens is a bad idea.

Matt Oberst, father of noted indie-rock musician Conor Oberst, told the council that his three sons went to all-ages concerts as teenagers in Omaha. Those experiences helped shape them, he said.

"These types of shows . . . are extremely important to the creative process," Matt Oberst said.

Chad Rozniecki, who teaches bass guitar, said nearly all his students became interested in pursuing music after attending concerts in their younger years.

Slowdown co-owner Jason Kulbel said his business isn't viable without alcohol sales, which help cover the cost of bringing in bands. On the other hand, he said, it would be "pretty devastating" if the Slowdown could no longer hold all-ages shows.

"The amount of shows that would come to Omaha would dwindle," Kulbel said.


I saw this in the paper today. I have two words..bull shit.