The Slag at Furnace Hill Gets Mixed Reviews

No, the new music venue wasn't finished quite on time, but whoever is now in charge decided to open Friday and Saturday's shows to the general public free. Good marketing move? We're going with yes.

There were good and bad reviews. We'll start with the good:

1. Most concert-goers loved the lighting, comparing it to a fairyland or carnival.

2. Also getting great reviews was the music. The Pine Hill Haints were a hit, but we've read nothing about Lucero - didn't that group appear on Friday?

3. Many citizens of Sheffield were amazed and thoroughly pleased that the endeavor has gotten this far. We're eager to see what comes next!

Now the bad:

1. Those who live in the Village have discovered they will now have to drive through Tuscumbia to get to downtown Sheffield on concert nights. They're not pleased. Will Sheffield restaurants lose business?

2. There was only one food truck serving the crowd - pictured below:

4. Some didn't like the restrooms. From the photo, this portable facility looks like many leased for new construction in existing facilities, and we've always found them nice, but haven't seen this particular one:

5. Sheffield police didn't do a good job directing traffic. Shouldn't this get better with practice?

6. It rained. Alas, this is a fact of nature. It will continue to happen in open air venues.

Now a personal observation: Ditty TV is supposedly set to have a presence in the Inspiration Landing complex. How did that group describe the venue? It's in a town just outside Muscle Shoals. No mention of Sheffield...period. John Elkington needs to speak with his "friends" at Ditty.