09/08/2022
We are so sad to have to announce that Good Vibes Concert Hall is closing its doors. We had a great time and wanted nothing more than to have a local spot for live music in Newport News and were happy to and lucky to have it for when we did.
But… as it turns out… the space wasn’t originally designed to be a music venue and we were plagued by noise complaints by our neighbors and were unable to escape the constant legal noise and sound caused violations.
Before I dig into the explanation below – just want to say - from all of us at Good Vibes – we love you guys, thanks so much for the party, and please continue to support City Center and all the great local businesses in Hampton Roads that have live music. There is a great live music scene around us and don’t ever let it die!!! I’d like thank these fine local establishments that will continue to support live music – The Vanguard, Tradition Brewery, Stuft, Elevation 27, Schooners, The Cove, Steak & Tonic, Hayashi, The Norva, Schlesinger’s, Port Warwick Concerts and many others. Peace & Love & Good Vibes forever!!! I loved working with all of our vendors and musicians and employees - we had a great team and I’ll miss them dearly and want nothing but the best for anyone that we ever worked with.
This is our official statement:
Due to the continuing noise complaints from neighboring condos in City Center it appears we cannot operate as a live music venue in compliance with the City Code and noise restrictions.
Multiple complaints asserted through the months of our tenancy finally resulted in a criminal citation for sound violations, despite our ongoing efforts to appease the neighbors and to appease the police, and despite our several meetings with authorities to attempt to resolve the complaints. We engaged in attempting several ‘sound level and frequency options,’ proposed by the police, but the problems and complaints persisted.
It seems that large circumference rain runoff and/or drainage or sewage pipes under our building connect to the neighboring buildings. This amplifies low frequency sound waves from the business and causes ‘wall shaking’ inside people’s homes. Though we have multiple times proven that the sound level is within the legal range (by using a decibel or DB meter when police officers have come, to evidence the sound volume is within the law) the frequencies that are causing the problems cannot be avoided without significantly reducing the bass volume. Musical artist and audience members desire bass and expect live music performances to include bass, and we cannot operate as a live music venue unless we are able to broadcast music with bass at the premises. This situation renders booking most of the best artists impossible and presents a material and substantial burden on the business operation that we cannot overcome. Thus, we cannot continue to operate this business for the business purpose originally intended and contemplated, despite our deep investment and good faith.
