Central Park SummerStage Finds A New Way To Avoid Antagonizing Its Neighbors: A $250,000 Soundsystem

Folks on Fifth Avenue apparently complained, so this summer, when Pavement finally arrives to play those shows you bought tickets for a half-year ago, a new quarter-million-dollar soundsystem will ensure the neighbors don’t have to hear it. (Possibly mercifully.) Per DNAinfo.com:

The 2010 season of the free concert series at Rumsey Playfield, between East 69th and East 70th Streets, in the park will feature a new targeted sound system designed to rock for concert-goers, but leave residents undisturbed.

“We heard from some people that during the concerts, the noise was disturbing their peace and quiet, so we worked with SummerStage and the City Parks Foundation to address the issue,” City Councilman Dan Garodnick said.

The new Line-Array System pinpoints sound more directly towards the audience and minimizes the ambient sound that spilled over into the neighborhood, said David Rivel, executive director of the City Parks Foundation.

Ceiling of SummerStage at Rumsey PlayfieldThe new $250,000 sound system has already been installed at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. (DNAinfo/Gabriela Resto-Montero)

At a test run of the new system earlier this month, Rivel said neighbors responded positively to the muted music.

“You could hear some faint bass thump with the windows closed,” he said. “People said it was less annoying.”

Yeah, well, you better hope Pavement doesn’t pull out “Hit the Plane Down.” The full Summerstage 2010 lineup can be found here. Maybe donate an extra dollar or two.