Blacksburg community members complain about VT concert

BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) - Some people living in Blacksburg are upset after they say a concert on Virginia Tech's campus disturbed parts of the community.

Electronic Dance Music artist DJ Diplo performed on the Drillfield Tuesday night after the school won Victoria's Secret's "PINK NATION Campus Party" in a social media contest.

While some people enjoyed the concert, others who live nearby were annoyed by the noise from the event.

"The vibrations from just that heavy bass sound you associate with speakers and just like if you're walking by a car with big speakers in the back, you can feel that vibration from it," said Brian Parr, who lives in Blacksburg.

Town leaders said they do not usually hear a lot of noise from campus events.

"I've lived here for 30 years and this was the most intense," Mayor Ron Rordam said.

Mayor Rordam said he received complaints about the concert on social media.

He and Town Attorney Larry Spencer said since the event was on school grounds and the university is run by the state, the town does not have the power to shut the event down.

"It's like its own governmental entity that we try to cooperate and our police departments cooperate really well," said Spencer.

Virginia Tech leaders said they have a policy in place for excessive noise, but they made an exception for the concert.

In a prepared statement, Virginia Tech Spokesperson Tracy Vosburgh said,  "The concert was an extraordinary circumstance and after careful consideration, we did issue an exception to the policy and extend the hours until 9 p.m."

Town leaders said VT staff reached out Wednesday to discuss possible solutions to make sure future outdoor events aren't a nuisance to people living in the town.