Logan Square Boulevard Bash: Late Night, Noisy Breakdown Adds Insult to Injury
I was happy earlier tonight, when the Boulevard Bash/Festival ended their music around 9:30 PM. It’s been a full evening of constant drumming, and the absence of bass and snare drums was a welcome relief, after a full weekend of musicians.
Starting around 10:30 PM or so, crews have been tearing down the stages and fencing along the boulevard. The bad news is: it’s 12:29 AM, and they’re still at it. I think they’re like halfway done.
I get that breaking down this stuff is going to be noisy. But the racket is such that it woke me up. Given how loud it is now, there’s no way I’m getting back to sleep until these guys are finished.
Right now, it sounds like the only tool that each person has is a hammer. Which they’re using to dislodge every metal pipe they can find. It’s like they’re trying to build the world’s largest xylophone. At some point, I heard the “beep beep” of a truck backing up, and what sounded like a jackhammer (though it also could have been someone dragging a heavy metal pipe over uneven concrete).
In addition to the metal clanging and occasional glass breaking, I can also hear the construction guys talking and yelling at one another. About 10 minutes ago, for reasons I can’t quite piece together, I heard one guy yell “MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!” in an exaggerated and prolonged fashion, at the top of his lungs.
As I looked out the window at all the commotion, I saw at least one other light pop on in my apartment complex. I’m guessing a lot of folks who lives along the boulevard, between Milwaukee and Sacramento, are being kept up by all the breakdown noise.
Again, I get that in breaking down these events – there’s no way to be quiet about it. But I’m baffled as to how the city would permit this kind of late-night “construction,” as the noise is just way too much.
I know everyone working is just doing their jobs (and likely getting good overtime pay), but secretly… I want to hire a young Dick Van Dyke, dressed in full as Bert from Mary Poppins. And then I want to clone him, and to send that army of one-man-bands out to each construction worker’s house, stand outside their bedroom windows, and serenade each of them about 40 minute after they fall asleep.
A silly fantasy, I know. But I can dream, can’t I? I mean… as long as I’m awake, that is.
Related:
Planning A Trip, A Year in Advance
Alright – I think the crews have moved to the other side of the boulevard. I can still hear someone dragging a heavy metal pipe across concrete, but it’s a little more muted now.
Going to head back to bed, and give this sleep thing another shot. If anyone happens to have Mr. Van Dyke’s contact info, I’d be obliged if you left it here in the comments.
avoision (August 26, 2013 at 12:58 am)