Posted
by Falestine Afani Ruzik
June 7, 2009 at 2:11 a.m.
A quick note about the Power and Light
A quick note about the Power and Light (or as I like to call it, the Power and WHITE) District in KC.
On Saturday night I read an angry tweet (on Twitter) from a friend who said he was turned away from P&L because he was wearing a green v-neck t-shirt from the GAP. I thought "typical." If you know anything about the venue and their strict (and as I see it, racist) dress code, then you know what I'm talking about.
Then, I heard about this. DJ Jazzy Jeff was supposed to play a FREE show there, and was kicked off about a half hour into his set because he was playing hip hop. It was all over Twitter (even DJ Jazzy Jeff's Twitter).
I'm sad to say this doesn't surprise me. Forget you, P&L. I don't understand how this venue came about, or why people even support it.
I can get mad and stomp my feet all I want, but there's not much I personally can do. All I know is that Kansas is great, I love Kansas, and all the acts that come through.....which is why it stung a little when I saw this on Jazzy Jeff's Twitter feed:
"i guess...Kansas Just don't Understand...lol"
:-(
Sorry Jazz, I love ya, but please note that what went down occurred on the MISSOURI side. ;-)
Shame on you, Power and WHITE district. Shame on you!!
and 9 others
Comments
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dolores2175 (April Fleming) says…
Friend of mine also wasn't let in because he was wearing an 'undershirt', which looked to me an awful lot like a gray t-shirt. The only thing to me worth going there for is music, occasionally. But in the case of TV on the Radio for example, none of the bars turned off their loud dance music when the band went on, so you could hear TV on the Radio...and Britney Spears at the same time. So yeah.. meh. P&L = dumb.
I think the developers, the Cordish company, has had similar problems in neighborhoods they've redeveloped with racially-based dress codes, general lameness, etc. in Baltimore and Nashville too.
OtherJoel (anonymous) says…
The comments on the Pitch story were interesting. As much as I hate to defend that horrible place in any fashion, I think the "they wouldn't let me play hip-hop" excuse sounds kind of weak. It is DJ Jazzy Jeff, after all. That he was pushing their very expensive sound system too hard seems slightly more plausible.
I don't deny that there could be some discrimination in terms of their ridiculous dress code, but I don't know about this.
That said, there are a million other reasons to hate this place. However, everyone should go once, not spend a dime on their ridiculously overpriced drinks, and people-watch. You will either find it disgusting or entertaining (maybe both). Just don't wear a plain white t-shirt.
matt (Matt Armstrong) says…
The first time I went there, during the day just to check it out, I was denied entrance to the bowling alley thing (don't know if it's actually a bowling alley or a club with bowling alley signs) because I was wearing a black hoodie.
Also, DJ Cruz lost his gig as a regular at Angels Rock Bar because he was playing Motley Crue. At a bar decorated with 80's hair metal paraphernalia. Totally the same story as the Jazzy Jeff situation; they hire people and then try to gentrify their act. I never thought I'd say this, but the White Power district makes the plaza look like Showtime at the Apollo.
hankscorpio74 (anonymous) says…
i prefer calling it the "power of white" district
toodarnloud (M. Peterworth) says…
yeah, i have never and will never go there. dj jazzy jeff and his MC should have done their homework and known not to play there.
http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/...
chewyfally (Falestine Afani Ruzik) says…
This open letter describes what happened last night, and also shares my distaste on the fact that taxpayer money was used to build something that only a select few can use:
http://thismayconcernyou.com/2009/06/...
Handsome_Rob (anonymous) says…
white power and light
id_engager (anonymous) says…
The entire argument about the sound system's safety is laughable.
DJ acts' mixers are hooked into Direct Input boxes that go to the soundboard, where the engineer at the soundboard has final control over the levels going to the amps and speakers. (sure, like I believe the excuse that DJ Jazzy brought his own people to work P&L's soundboard.)
Barring the fact that the outside sound operator excuse is flimsy at best, a semi-competent sound contractor would have installed good EQ's, limiters, and crossovers to make the line arrays at the P&L district function without being harmed. That would apply even when the masters on the board were over unity (boosted above what is considered +/-0 db for a system).
OtherJoel (anonymous) says…
Fair enough. I read accounts that it was clipping (which my rather limited knowledge on the subject interprets as "bad"), but I wasn't actually there. Clearly id_engager knows far more than I, though. At least we can agree the place sucks for many, many reasons. Just trying to (weakly) present an alternative theory.
trailer (anonymous) says…
why does everyone feel the need to chime in on gossip and rumor? the more i've read about this incident, the more blurry the whole situation becomes. here are some quick facts:
1. KC Live's dress codes are generally discriminatory towards young, urban African Americans.
2. Jazzy Jeff-- a hip-hop act-- was part of a Bacardi tour booked in the Live! block.
3. Jazzy Jeff walked off stage after around 15 minutes.
4. Jazzy Jeff and Z-Trip said they were told to play "top 40" music.
5. Various audience members complained about the sound coming out of the speakers during Jazzy Jeff's set.
6. Reportedly, Cordish called Skillz (Jeff's MC and also famous in his own right) disrespectful of the venue and asked Jeff to continue his set without him.
7. Cordish said that Jeff's outputs were ruining their speaker system.
8. Z-trip's earlier set consisted of hip-hop music.
Falestine Afani Ruzik-- it sounds like I have more information than you about the whole situation (you admit not even knowing what P+L is) but you still feel the need to spread some sort of a viral hatebomb against alleged racism and discrimation. Where is the proof? Jazzy Jeff's tweets?
People like you and the rest of these lazy, sideline bloggers (who weren't there) are creating a giant game of telephone. I know it's fun, but it also renders you useless (as a blogger or journalist or whatever you call it when you spread rumors). The known facts make it look like there both parties (Jeff + Cordish) were at fault for the incident.
Jeff said he's coming back to KC anyway so everyone can put your outrage back on some invisible, environmental issue that helps no one and makes no impact locally.
Hackworth (anonymous) says…
I hate to feed the trolls, but I figure it's easier if I go ahead and take one for the team. This post hereby empowers future commenters to completely ignore Trailer's comments, should they wish.
"here are some quick facts: 1. KC Live's dress codes are generally discriminatory towards young, urban African Americans."
Okay, soooo... you agree the P&L's policies are racist. Check.
"7. Cordish said that Jeff's outputs were ruining their speaker system."
As id_engager pointed out, that should be practically impossibly if the sound engineers who at P&L are remotely competent.
"(you admit not even knowing what P+L is)"
What? Reading comprehension deduction...
"but you still feel the need to spread some sort of a viral hatebomb against alleged racism and discrimation."
Please see your fact #1. Also, wtf is a viral hatebomb? It sounds awesome.
"everyone can put your outrage back on some invisible, environmental issue that helps no one and makes no impact locally."
Ahhh, baiting about unrelated issues. The true mark of a troll. Moving along now...
thevidman (anonymous) says…
I was there. When DJJJ was playing, I was standing right on stage right. The speakers near me sounded like they were blown. The subs were distorting horribly. My 2 cents...
trailer (anonymous) says…
Lawrence.com keeps on LOSING as more information continues to circulate. This fake controversy continues to unravel by the minute. Sorry your outrage and "boiling blood" is becoming less warranted and looking more silly.
http://www.tonyskansascity.com/2009/0...
Calling me a troll on uber-conservative dolph simons iii's faux hipster web site is a compliment i'll take with me for life.
matt (Matt Armstrong) says…
God it's hard to not respond @trailer. He is Shiva, destroyer of fun.
I've figured out what I really think about all this. What I'm wondering about is, kicked off stage or not, why would Jazzy Jeff play P&L in the first place? It's a stage for dancing monkeys, not artists. Either he doesn't know where he's playing, or he DOES know that he can't pull in the same amount of money if they're charging at the gate and has to eat it. In this equation, the P&L is the constant; they are symbolically shitty to people.
jonulasien (anonymous) says…
What is the deal with pulling the race card nowadays? Racism is a very strong word and I really hope that people truly understands what it means before they start tossing it around. The P&LD is discriminating agains urban culture, NOT black people. There is a difference, folks. Look at it this way, "satanic" death metal gets as much flack from the media as rap music. If some goth kids wearing trench coats tried to get in to the P&LD, they'd get turned away too. Sure, their dress code does exclude clothes comonly worn by young, black males, but their intention is not to racially divide KC. What we're dealing with here is cultural discrimination, not racism. I'm only pointing this out because there is a big difference between the two. You will always have the option to choose what culture you associate yourself with. You don't have that option with the color of your skin. What the P&LD is doing is dumb, but calling them racist for doing it is even dumber.
DOTDOT (anonymous) says…
"...a semi-competent sound contractor would have installed good EQ's, limiters, and crossovers to make the line arrays at the P&L district function without being harmed." Given he had a budget. The difference between reading specs out of a magazine and what actually gets installed is usually money. Speakers get blown all the time. Turn that shit down.
Flipping the race card over a dress code is as racial as it gets. Just as many black folks hate that dumbass gangbanger shit, and they don't need your condescension. Dress codes come and go for all kinds of reasons, but in bars it's usually based on keeping the blood inside the bodies. Same issues at dog dirty biker bars in the 70s. Gang colors were banned in a lot of places. People that don't understand dress codes haven't seen enough blood yet.
matt (Matt Armstrong) says…
Hands down, funniest comment ever.
chewyfally (Falestine Afani Ruzik) says…
A quick update from the Associated Press:
"Hip-hop performer DJ Jazzy Jeff said his weekend performance in Kansas City was stopped because of censorship, not race.
Jazzy Jeff left the stage during a Saturday show in the city's downtown Power & Light District after saying venue managers didn't like the type of music he was playing.
Power & Light District officials say they wanted the production crew to turn down the music because it was too loud for the sound system.
Critics of the district's handling of the show have suggested race played a role. But on Thursday, Jazzy Jeff blamed it on censorship. He told The Associated Press that show organizers simply didn't like the "style of music" he was playing.
The Cordish Co., which runs the district, has taken criticism for its dress code in the area, which critics say targets young black men."
feeble (anonymous) says…
http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2009/04/s...
David Martin in Martin, News
Thursday, Apr. 23 2009 @ 8:01AM
A lawsuit claims that members of the private security force at the Power & Light District used racial slurs and targeted minorities for arrests and "takedowns."
toodarnloud (M. Peterworth) says…
Act 1
Stage front: DJ Jazzy Jeff doing his thing (DJ-ing)
Stage right, sound equipment: DJ Jazzy Jeff's Sound Technician
Enter Power and Light Representative to sound equipment.
Power and Light Representative: [To Sound Technician] This music is too loud, you've got to turn it down. It's blowing our speakers.
Sound Technician: [To DJ Jazzy Jeff] They think this music is too loud and they want us to stop.
Here's my two cents: what we had here was a failure to communication. Two culprits here:
1. The Power and Light representative did not do a good enough job explaining to DJ Jazzy Jeff's representative that the music was too loud.
2. DJ Jazzy Jeff's representative did not do a good enough job explaining to DJ Jazzy Jeff what the problem was.
As far as the sound system is concerned, maybe DJ Jazzy Jeff's representative had complete control of the sound system. Just a thought.