Stephen Ellison

49ers Consider Halting Weeknight Concerts at Levi's Stadium Due to Curfew

Are the 49ers pulling the plug on weeknight concerts at Levi's Stadium?

That's the message the team sent Thursday as it continued its feud with Santa Clara over the city's noise curfew.

The Coldplay show scheduled for Wednesday is still on, and the band is expected to go past the 10 p.m. deadline. It will be the last scheduled weeknight concert at the stadium until the curfew issue is settled.

After denying the 49ers' initial request to extend the curfew one hour, the City Council reached out to neighbors of Levi's Stadium for their input. Some of those residents said the noise definitely is a problem.

"It's super loud; there's no denying it," said Amy Varsell. "I think you've just got to abide by the curfew. That was the rule. It's very disruptive."

U2 and Beyonce went past the curfew during their performances at Levi's, resulting in a $1,000 fine levied against the 49ers. The team wants a resolution, and city leaders want the curfew taken seriously.

"When you have the trains, the cars, the helicopters flying overhead until 12 o'clock at night, that's a big problem because there are people in these neighborhoods that work," Councilwoman Kathy Watanabe said.

The team is asking for a few exceptions a year, but on Thursday, 49ers officials wrote that they'll stop scheduling weeknight concerts because performers don't usually end by 10 p.m.

Grammy winner Ed Sheeran recently canceled his scheduled tour stop at Levi's because of the curfew, and now a second major performer may do the same.

The 49ers say the city loses out on $800,000 in revenue when an artist cancels or passes on a potential Levi's date. That kind of money makes some in the neighborhood think twice.

"A little sacrifice for a big check for Santa Clara? I don't know," Varsell said. "But that does definitely make me consider it differently."

The City Council will discuss the issue again Oct. 17.

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