PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The band "Mumford and Sons" will be playing on the Eastern Prom this August. Organizers expect the show to draw more than 12,000 people.
City officials and concert organizers are excited to bring such a huge concert to the city, but know they also have to look out for the best interest of the residents, particularly those who live in the neighborhood.
The Friends of the Eastern Promenade and The Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization both stood up in support of the tour coming to Portland. The Friends of the Eastern Promenade is actually getting a portion of the profits. But those groups and area residents say they want to play a key role in the planning process, and they want to make sure the concert promoter and the city are prepared to deal with the crowds and the traffic. Residents and people who use the park say they don't have a problem with the concert or not having access to the park, as long as it is kept in good condition.
"The protection of the Prom, where everybody comes every day, to where it's not torn up and it's put back to as good or even better shape than before the concert would be really important to me," Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization board member Ross Fields said.
"It doesn't bother me for one day," Portland resident Lisa Carey said. "If I couldn't come to the park for a week it would bother me, but for one day I think it's exciting for the people who are going."
The concert is scheduled for August 4th, but concert promoters are still very much in the planning stages, so no word yet on when tickets might go on sale.
NEWS CENTER