[Editorial] Feed Jackson’s Nightlife

July 23, 2008

Excitement is swirling around the Jackson Free Press offices. Chick Ball was an enormous success, with more participation than ever and $14,000—double last year’s proceeds—toward a Freedom Van for the Center for Violence Prevention. The Jackson Zoo’s recent Ice Cream Safari also saw record numbers, attracting the second largest crowd (3,492 people) in the annual event’s 14-year history. Mind you, that crowd reflected just three hours. Zoo officials ran out of ice cream around 3 p.m. and are now talking about extending the event a few more hours next year.

All in all, it was a very successful weekend for Jackson, and the JFP knows that reaching down a little deeper into those pockets to support events in the city is no easy matter during rough economic times. We commend those who showed their support.

One of Jackson’s better attributes is its nightlife. But arts and entertainment in Jackson will continuously need the support of affable party-types for many years to come if the city’s nightlife is to remain a success. Take the performance of Billy Bob Thornton at Hal & Mal’s next week as an example. Rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly doesn’t come cheap. Steven Tyler will tell you that you have to feed rock ‘n’ roll. Quality acts have big hungry mouths, and patrons need to keep spoon-feeding the cash if they’re to keep coming here.

The same goes for the dazzling venues slated for the Farish Street Entertainment District. Funny Bone Comedy Club and the B.B. King Blues Club are on the way, if real estate developers like Performa CEO John Elkington and Jackson attorney David Watkins get their way. But these venues will need constant attention from nightlife-craving patrons if they are to survive. It won’t be enough to applaud at the ribbon cutting, but then vanish until the place closes its doors (a la Mardi Gras).

Expanding the entertainment venues in the city will also serve the purpose of opening the way for more quality talent. Elkington said so himself: “If local entertainers are truly going to put down their day jobs and perfect their art, Jackson will need to provide a big enough circuit of venues to keep their bank accounts filled.”

The economy will be a nagging ailment. Clubs in Memphis’ Beale Street area are already taking a small hit, and nobody needs Alan Greenspan to tell them the economy has been slapping around the people of Jackson, too. But it’s no longer about demanding a nightlife anymore. Now it’s about getting out there and keeping it—economy be damned.

 
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