Fort Worth’s Trinity River concert series in legal limbo after Saturday’s show scrapped
The future of the summer’s remaining series of Trinity River concerts may rest with a legal opinion from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
During the Panther Island Pavilion events, known as Rockin’ the River, people float on tubes and listen to live music. The concert planned for Saturday did not occur as a legal quarrel between the Tarrant Regional Water District, which operates the events, and a state government crowd restriction proclamation continues unresolved.
In past years, the concert series has drawn hundreds of people for each show. The water district would limit people to a quarter of the area’s capacity if the events are permitted to go on this year, said Matt Oliver, the district’s spokesman. Four concerts remain scheduled on Saturdays through Aug. 15.
Gov. Greg Abbott on July 2 amended a disaster proclamation to prohibit most outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people. The limit was part of an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Abbott said.
The water district argues that the proclamation does not apply to gatherings on property owned and operated by a public agency other than the city. The concerts should be exempt because the pavilion and river are such a space, Oliver said. The district has asked the Texas Attorney General’s Office to consider that view.
The River Authority had prepared a series of measures that it said should allow its concerts to go on. It planned to check participants’ body temperatures and to facilitate appropriate social distancing, Oliver said.
The Abbott proclamation on crowds does not directly discuss safety measures. It allows gatherings only if a mayor or, in unincorprated areas, the county judge approves.
Tarrant County reported five deaths and 422 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. In total, there have been 298 deaths and 21,617 cases since the pandemic began.
The Fort Worth City Attorney’s Office on Friday sent a letter to the water district affirming the city’s position that the governor’s proclamation does not allow for the river concert.
Abbott’s proclamation gives county judges and city mayors the authority to grant exemptions, though Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price has approved none, her spokeswoman said.
The water district did not request an exemption for the Rockin’ the River events.
Price on Friday wrote a Facebook post that noted that the concert scheduled for the following day would not occur.
“Thanks to #RockinTheRiver for making the right call and canceling this weekend’s concert,” she wrote.
J.D. Granger, the director of Panther Island Central City, registered his displeasure with the mayor’s description.
“You shut it down with no review of protocols, no questions asked,” he wrote.
Price is prioritizing the health of the city, Price spokeswoman Laken Rapier wrote in a statement.
“Mayor Price continues to make decisions based on the health of our residents and will not cave to public pressure,” Rapier wrote.
This story was originally published July 19, 2020 at 6:28 PM.
