WRIGLEYVILLE — With the Cubs back in Wrigley Field this week, neighbors are hoping the team finally has a handle on its noise levels, especially before they have to deal with concerts in the fall.
Neighbors have been complaining about louder ballpark music and sound carrying farther since Opening Night and the debut of the new video board.
The team has been closely monitoring noise complaints and sound levels during every home game and making adjustments, said Mike Lufrano, the Cubs director of community affairs.
"The problem is, we can't test it with an empty ballpark, because the sound reverberates and you don't get a good sense of what's going on," Lufrano told the Southport Neighbors Association last week.
Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) also attempted to appease neighbors soon after Opening Night.
"I have heard from many constituents today regarding the new sound system at Wrigley Field. Apparently, the new system is carrying sound further than in the past. I have made the Cubs aware of the complaints and am working with them to minimize the noise going into the neighborhood," Tunney wrote in an April 6 Facebook post.
Lufrano said the ballpark was relying solely on the video board's speakers, as grandstand speakers wouldn't be installed until the stands were completed. He also said the change in sound systems didn't necessarily mean Wrigley Field was increasing its volume.
"The video board has an upgraded sound system, so what you're hearing now, it's not necessarily that it's that much louder, but it's clearer and more defined," Lufrano said.
Lufrano asked neighbors to continue to call the Cubs if they were unhappy with noise levels in their area. The team is mapping out where the complaints were coming from to better determine how to adjust the sound.
"North of the ballpark, they aren't hearing it. It does have to do with the direction you point the speakers and, of course, the weather and the wind," Lufrano said.
The reassurances did little to mollify neighbors, who were also unhappy they would be dealing with an AC/DC concert on Sept. 15, a school night.
"This is one of the loudest heavy metal bands playing on a weeknight in a neighborhood overflowing with children. What on earth is that about? This is not OK," Erica Salem said.
Salem told DNAinfo Chicago she was considering filing an injunction against the Cubs to prevent the concert from taking place.
Tunney is also considering an ordinance to put an end to weekday concerts after Labor Day, said Erin Duffy, the ward's director of community outreach.
The Cubs, meanwhile, are looking into whether they can end the concert before the 11 p.m. cutoff time, Lufrano told Salem and other neighbors.
"All I can say is I understand what you're saying. I don't know if you saw AC/DC at the Grammys this year, but they're a different band than they may have been in the past," Lufrano said.
Salem said she became concerned the band's rowdy fans would cause trouble after searching for AC/DC online.
The city's 2013 agreement with Wrigley Field allows for up to four concerts per year without neighbor and alderman approval — a move that allowed the ballpark to book bigger shows without drawn-out negotiations.
The agreement does include an 11 p.m. curfew, which Pearl Jam violated in 2013 after a rain delay pushed the show's end time past 2 a.m.
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