Mexican band drew thousands to concert at Bluffton field. They say they won’t do it again
On Eagles Field in Bluffton, where children play baseball and the community gathers for markets and festivals, the popular Mexican band Grupo Firme drew a crowd of thousands on Saturday.
The banda group, formed in Tijuana and boasting nearly 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify, played on Eagles Field for almost 3,000 fans on a large makeshift stage, according to promoter Alberto Ortega of Bluffton.
The event also drew the police, who received 29 complaints about noise from Saturday’s concert, along with two fights, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage said.
Ortega, who organizes local events, was asked by the band to publicize the event in Bluffton. Ortega doesn’t work for the band, but he said because of all the complaints received, they won’t be hosting a concert of that size in Bluffton again.
“I just want to apologize to all the people who felt they were affected by this event,” Ortega said in an interview, translated from Spanish. “We are so sorry, and we won’t do another event as big like this one.”
Both the Sheriff’s Office and the Bluffton Police Department responded, with Bluffton sending 13 officers, according to Lt. Christian Gonzales.
Like any concert, it produced a lot of people, noise and trash. But many Bluffton residents weren’t prepared for the noise level or the extent of the garbage.
Fran Mollica, who lives in the Old Carolina community on Buck Island Road, less than a half mile from Eagles Field, said noise from the concert caused her windows to vibrate and scared her dog.
The worst of it? People left the concert “screaming” as they drove up Buck Island Road, she said.
“Most of the people in my neighborhood ... they turn their lights off by 9 or 9:30. None of them could sleep,” Mollica said. Eagles Field is “not a great place to have that. It goes into so many neighborhoods.”
Residents were also airing their dissatisfaction on social media.
“I’ll be purchasing a decibel meter,” one Nextdoor user, who lives in Westbury Park, wrote Saturday night. “Must it be that loud? This isnt MSG with the Rolling Stones!”
Another Westbury Park resident said it was “very frustrating not to be able to enjoy your Saturday” due to the noise.
Other Nextdoor commenters suggested the concert wouldn’t be getting as much outcry if it were a country or bluegrass band rather than Latin music.
Bluffton residents went to Eagles Field on Sunday morning to take videos and photos of the trash, then posted them on Facebook and Nextdoor. Empty plastic cups and crushed Michelob Ultra boxes were strewn across the field.
Ortega said organizers needed time to clean up the following day and were doing so long after the photos were taken. It took them seven to eight hours, he said.
“We did our job,” he said. “It is clean.”
Who’s responsible for Eagles Field?
Many of those upset about the concert wondered how the event got a permit and whether the town should be held responsible.
In response, Bluffton town government issued a statement on Monday.
“Town of Bluffton leaders and staff have received numerous complaints about issues which arose from an event on Eagles Field, Saturday, October 23,” the statement reads.
Eagles Field is private property, it said, and did not require a permit for a private event.
“However, Bluffton leaders and staff are currently re-evaluating its regulations and requirements to establish legal parameters for events of this size for the safety and enjoyment of event participants and the communities surrounding them,” the statement said.
The S.C. Secretary of State’s website shows the property is owned by the Bluffton Eagles Community Action Committee. The website shows the organization’s nonprofit status has expired.
The organization’s chairman is Fred Hamilton Jr., a Bluffton Town Council member. It’s not clear how much money the group made from the Grupo Firme concert and where that money goes.
Ortega would not say how much it cost to rent the field.
On its 2014 IRS form, the organization listed its purpose as running sports programs and performing maintenance on the field, which “is used for community sports and recreation.”
Called on Monday about the concert, Council member Hamilton texted a reporter the concert organizer’s contact information but did not return two calls Monday and Tuesday to talk about the nonprofit.
First Bluffton, then Miami
After playing for 3,000 people in Bluffton on Saturday, Grupo Firme flew to Miami to play for 25,000 fans on Sunday, according to promoter Ortega.
“We know we bothered the people that live nearby and all that,” he said in a translated interview. “We will no longer be doing events of that magnitude.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 1:10 PM.
