A popular music festival drew some criticism last weekend.

More than 1,898 music fans attended the Temecula Music Fest, which took place Friday and Sunday and featured more than 70 performances.

Despite the popularity of the event, some parents have said it was profane and offensive.

They are not the parents of anyone attending the festival, however. They are the parents of children competing in a Little League tournament and a swim meet nearby.

According to a City of Temecula official, numerous parents called the city over the weekend to complain they heard obscene language and subject matter blasting over the festival’s public address system.

On two occasions, musicians did use obscenities, according to Bill Gould, the event’s organizer.

Using obscene language and discussing vulgar subject matter are both barred from the festival’s stages, Gould said. Moreover, the musicians agreed to refrain from using either before performing.

Two performers broke this rule. One was a hip-hop artist who performed on Saturday and the other was a vocalist in a punk rock band that performed on Friday.

Gould declined to name the bands. "I don’t really want to put the bands on blast; I don’t feel it would be fair to hurt [their] reputation[s]," he said.

As soon as the performers broke the rules, the sound technician unplugged the public address system and organizers escorted the musicians off the stage, Gould said.

"You can’t use ‘F’s and ‘S’s at a family park, but when it happens, you can’t take it back," Gould said. "I have a little kid, too. I don’t want Advertisement
that."

The offending musicians have been barred from participating in the event in the future, Gould said.

Some parents have complained to the city that musicians were using foul language on more than those two instances, according to Martin Betz, the city’s cultural arts administrator.

"Some parents are saying it was going on all day; others are saying it happened and then stopped," he said.

The organizers do everything possible to ensure the performers follow the rules, Betz said.

The city will, however, place the Temecula Music Fest on a date next year on which no children’s sporting events are taking place, he said.

A small number of complaints can have a strong influence over the government of a small city such as Temecula, according to Ivan McClain, a local booking agent who helped organize the festival. He worries these people may threaten the festival’s existence in the future.

"If a few soccer moms or a few people in a swim class have some issues, we have 1,500 people going home with a good time and planning to come back next year," McClain said. "We don’t want a couple of bad eggs spoiling the dozen."

The festival was adopted as a city event as part of Temecula’s Youth Master Plan, Betz said.

The Youth Master Plan is the local government’s guiding plan for making Temecula a pleasant place for children and teenagers to live, Betz said.

"[The Temecula Music Fest] gives kids something to do that’s positive on the weekend," Betz said. "This is what kids want to do."

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