June 14, 2005
Commissioner's Court one-ups the Lege

I can't believe I missed this story last week, but fortunately Jonathan (who can use words like "metaethics" in a blog post without looking silly) caught it.


Spurred on by Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl, county officials have fine-tuned policies in the hope that similar incidents can be prevented in the future.

Commissioners Court was informed today that promoters will sign contracts that highlight phrases such as one requiring that performers not use facilities for any "immoral purpose."

Promoters will be required to carry at least $1 million in insurance to cover lawsuits that may result from a performer's actions, said Willie Loston, director of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp., which oversees Reliant Park.

The Sports & Convention Corp. developed some of the slight policy changes in March and April, more than a year after Jackson bared her breast during a Super Bowl halftime performance at Reliant Stadium on Feb. 1, 2004.

Shortly after Jackson's performance, Commissioner Steve Radack called for adding a "morality clause" to the contracts of promoters who bring in acts to Reliant Park.

[...]

Loston said the Sports & Convention Corp.'s board and SMG-Reliant Park, a national company that manages Reliant Park and other sports and convention venues worldwide, chose not to impose a Draconian morality clause.

First, immorality, indecency and vulgarity are subjective concepts, and certain behaviors are protected under First Amendment freedom of speech provisions, Loston said.

Second, Reliant Park would lose business and some performers would choose to perform in another town or at another venue if the county imposed an extraordinarily strict morality clause, he said.

"We talked about how restrictive can we get and still be competitive," he said. "We would put ourselves at a competitive disadvantage to Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center and Cynthia Woods (Pavilion)."


It's nice to know that even the most perfervid fulminations for "decency" can still take a back seat to the almighty dollar. It's also nice to know that the reason this took so long to get implemented is that it was backburnered in favor of more pressing business. Apparently, Commissioner's Court can adjourn for the summer, since all of its real work must be done for now.

I can't wait to see the first litigation over the question of just what constitues an "immoral purpose" for the use of Reliant Stadium. Personally, I'd include any reunion tours by the Oak Ridge Boys, but I admit that I may be in the minority with that interpretation.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on June 14, 2005 to Local politics | TrackBack
Comments

Heh. I can make them a list of "immoral purposes", but it would probably not match SMG-Reliant Park's list. "Selling Rogaine and Viagra to aging boomers to cruelly feed their delusions that they have not lost their youth..."

WRT ORB: I dunno, I like their cover of Carry on My Wayward Son.

Their site shows them doing about 150 dates/year, which is damn good. The closest they'll come to Houston is Orange, so you can't easily personally heckle them

Posted by: Michael Croft on June 14, 2005 7:24 AM

"I can't wait to see the first litigation over the question of just what constitues an "immoral purpose" for the use of Reliant Stadium."

Here's how I see it:

A Michael Jackson concert would not be an immoral purpose for the use of Reliant Stadium.

A Michael Jackson sponsored "Boy Scout Sleepover" might be closer to what would be an immoral purpose for the use of Reliant Stadium.

"Personally, I'd include any reunion tours by the Oak Ridge Boys"

I think the Oak Ridge Boys are the only recording group that may be older than the Rolling Stones :-)

Posted by: William Hughes on June 14, 2005 8:50 AM

Commissioner Radack - the driving force behind this morality - has not demonstrated morality in his own official behavior.

Posted by: Charles Hixon on June 14, 2005 10:43 AM