The OKC Zoo’s decision to outsource the management of its beloved amphitheater to Save Live – the out-of-state venture capital group that's trying its best to monopolize the OKC concert market – is going great!
Well, that is if you consider “great” to be a lackluster concert schedule, higher ticket fees and taxes, and a more hot, tiring, and generally uncomfortable concert-going experience.
Last week, I got an email from a local pedicab operator on the Ogle Mole tip line.
They claimed that the Zoo Trust and Save Live have apparently conspired together to ban pedicabs from using Zoo or Science Museum parking lots and, for added measure, are now prohibiting concertgoers from bringing lawn chairs inside the outdoor venue.
Check this out:
"The new management of the Zoo Amp, Zoo Trust, and Science Museum have worked together to restrict the use of pedicabs at concerts. Citing public safety, we are not allowed on the grounds. We are licensed, pass criminal background checks, inspected by the city, and carry liability insurance. They make exceptions for ride-share company drivers that don’t have to fulfill any of those requirements. Go check out the Zoo Amp's FB page – many people are complaining about the new policy. They also no longer allow people to bring their own chairs since they rent them now."
That sucks. In case you didn’t know, the biggest issue with shows at the Zoo Amp is that they make it hard for the animals to sleep at night. Well, at least that’s what the red pandas tell me. Have I ever mentioned that I can communicate telepathically with them? They’re interesting little creatures. Ironically enough, their favorite obscure Radiohead song is “Like Spinning Plates.”
The second biggest issue with most shows at the Zoo Amp is that you have to park a long distance from the gates, then wait in a long line, and, once inside, stand around in the hot Oklahoma summer heat listening to a band that peaked 25 years ago play new music you don’t care about.
For some people, pedicabs and lawn chairs helped make those experiences semi-tolerable, and now they’re extinct like the old Aquaticus exhibit!
I asked my pal Candice Rennels in the Zoo PR Department to get an explanation for the decision.
Even though she’s still probably traumatized from her experience on an old episode of The Lost Ogle Show, she sent us this statement:
"The decision to prohibit pedicabs on property owned by the Oklahoma Zoological Trust was made for the safety and protection of concertgoers. The roads between the Oklahoma City Zoo and Science Museum Oklahoma, as well as the road along the back of the Zoo leading towards the Zoo Amp, fall under the responsibility of the Oklahoma Zoological Trust. While we cannot allow unassociated third-party vendors to operate on Zoo grounds, OKC Zoo and Save Live are exploring transportation alternatives for 2025 that could transport guests between the Zoo Amp and the main parking lot in a safe manner."
Yep, that’s right, concertgoers! Even though pedicabs are licensed and regulated by the city, and there aren’t any documented accidents involving them that we’re aware of, the Zoo is banning them for your safety. Remember that the next time you're walking six blocks from the Science Museum to the Zoo Amp's front gates in 105-degree heat.
Also, it will be interesting to see what form of transport the Zoo and Save Live come up with to replace the pedicabs. I guess they could always use an old Zoo Tram or two.
If that doesn’t work, maybe they should hire strong-legged individuals to ride around with little carts attached to bicycles and transport people from their cars to the show and back! Although it may lead to Ryan Walters banning all public school zoo field trips, they can call them trans-cabs!
Although the Zoo – a place that houses multiple species of dangerous and wild animals – is using the “safety” excuse, I have a feeling the real predator here might be financial greed.
As they proved with their Tower Theatre shenanigans, Save Live doesn’t seem to care much about local workers, small businesses, or – thanks to their near-monopoly on concert bookings – the customer experience. If they’re not getting a cut, they’re cutting you out.
That could explain why Save Live reached out to pedicab operators back in May of this year to “learn more” about the business. I mean, why bother with local insight unless you’re planning to monopolize it next season, right?
Via our Mole:
"Several months ago, a representative from the new management company named Tracy contacted me stating she represented the new management company and wanted to know about the pedicabs, as people loved riding them. I shared with her the structure of all pedicab operators, the city statute under which we are licensed, and that sort of thing. She thanked me, and I never heard another word from her. We showed up to work the first event of the season last week and were informed by the Zoo, then the Science Museum, that we would no longer be able to ride on their property or actually set foot on it."
As a small business owner, my thoughts go out to the pedicab operators who are losing out on hard-earned revenue due to the greed… err… “safety concerns” of out-of-state venture capitalists and well-funded government trusts that earn a 1/8th of a penny sales tax on every dollar spent in OKC.
Sadly, Save Live’s lust for money doesn’t end there.
In addition to making Zoo Amp shows less comfortable, they’re making them more expensive, too!
According to a local Concert Industry Mole, Save Live has bumped ticket prices and is now charging excessive ticketing fees that are close to 30%. They’re also tacking on sales tax, as opposed to including it in the ticket cost as other promoters generally do.
Apparently, local concertgoers are being turned off by a lot of these changes and/or the lack of quality acts.
The summer season’s first concert – a performance by the Isley Brothers and Commodores – was quietly canceled, while an ’80s keyboard bonanza – Howard Jones and ABC – was moved to the giant SPAM canister known as the Criterion due to poor sales. On that note, imagine being the person who paid $250 for fancy Zoo Amp VIP pit seats and then being told you’d have to go watch it at the Criterion. I would politely ask for a refund.
The shows that stuck at the Zoo have performed poorly. Not to give you the runaround, but I heard Blues Traveler struggled to sell 1,000 tickets. It also wasn’t a good day for Ice Cube and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who had a hard time bringing rap fans to the crossroads.
Even though those shows struggled, at least The Flaming Lips nostalgia shows at the Zoo coming up this Labor Day weekend will be well-attended. As even New Wayne Coyne realizes, that’s probably because they’ll be free, but a sellout is a sellout. If you go, just make sure not to get any glitter or confetti in your shoe, as it will be a long walk back to your car.
Anyway, if you’re a small business owner who’s being impacted by greedy out-of-state venture capitalists – or simply a red panda who wants to chat about Kid A – shoot me an email on the TLO Tip Line.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
