Nile Rodgers seeks permit for August concert at Martha Clara Vineyards

Nile Rodgers is back pitching a music festival at Martha Clara Vineyards this summer.

The celebrity music producer, who put AVICII and others on stage at the Riverhead vineyard in 2013 in a concert to benefit All for the East End, wants to present “Freak Out – Let’s Dance Riverhead” this August, Peter Herman of Nile Rodgers Productions told the Riverhead Town Board this morning during its regular work session.

In May 2014, Herman and Rodgers floated the idea of a two-day music festival at Martha Clara, proposed for Aug. 9 and 10. That festival didn’t materialize because there wasn’t enough time to plan it, Herman said today.

Rodgers’ current proposal is for a one-day event, to be held either Tuesday, Aug. 4 or Wednesday, Aug. 5. It will feature a children’s music program from 9 a.m. to noon and the “Freak Out — Let’s Dance Riverhead” program from 3 to 11 p.m. The main event will feature 12 to 13 performers, Herman said.

The festival is expected to draw 10,000 fans, he said. The AFTEE concert in 2013  drew a crowd of about 5,000. The crowd will be mostly “older,” Herman said. He did not disclose the identity of performers.

Herman said Nile Rodgers Productions has retained Concert Service Specialists to handle traffic and security for the event. They have already prepared a traffic study for the town’s consideration, Herman said.

Concert Service Specialists security director Peter Singer told the board that inbound traffic would arrive via both Sound Avenue and Herricks Lane. Herricks Lane would be used by traffic coming from the west, which would be directed to LIE Exit 71 to Route 105 to Main Road to Herricks Lane. Security personnel

Security guards would be stationed on Herricks Lane at Stoll Drive, Windy Acres and Bay Run Lane to ensure that concert-goers will not drive through those surrounding residential neighborhoods, Singer said.

Potential impacts on nearby residents was a concern voiced by Councilwoman Jodi Giglio, who said she’d received complaints from neighbors during and after the 2013 event.

Herman said organizers have already met with Police Chief David Hegermiller about traffic control plans. Hegermiller also attended this morning’s meeting.

Also in attendance were Juan Miceli-Martinez and Molly O’Connor of Martha Clara Vineyards.

Board members were generally receptive to the proposal, which will require their approval of a special event permit. The applicant will pay the costs of police and traffic control, officials said.

Nile Rodgers Productions will make a donation to a local charity of the board’s choosing, Herman said. Councilman George Gabrielsen requested that the production company agree to donate money for recreation equipment. Giglio said that, in addition to any donations, she’d like to see $2 per ticket sold paid to the town.

The amount of any donations to local charitable causes will depend on budget calculations yet to be done, Herman said. “We just got police costs from the town, so we need to sit down and crunch some numbers,” he said.

Rodgers is the founder of the We Are Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2002 in response to the events of Sept. 11, according to its website. Its mission is “to celebrate the vision of a global family by creating and supporting programs that inspire and educate the next generation about respect, understanding and cultural diversity – while striving to solve some of our biggest global problems at the same time.”

The foundation is named for the hit song Rodgers wrote in 1979; it was recorded by pop group Sister Sledge and rose to the top of the charts.

The name of the proposed festival is drawn from two mega-hits in Rodgers’ career. “Freak Out” is a song recorded by Chic-Le Freak that rocketed up the charts in 1978. “Let’s Dance” is a song recorded by David Bowie, co-produced by Rodgers, a number one hit in 1983.