Oh, the good ol' daze when the Waterfront Jazz Festival was the bargain of the year and you were actually able to sit on the grass and listen to great artists performing. Now the suburbs trash has ruined another Portland highlight and made it unbearable.

Can we also use this space to inquire what, exactly, is the appeal of Concerts at the Zoo? We thought we were arriving early, at 4 (for a 7:30 show). Two mile trek with the teeming masses from the gate to the venue area, only to find that so many clever, clever music fans apparently arrived at noon, to claim their precious blanket real estate then apparently wander the zoo and consume bad popcorn for 7 hours until showtime. Literally 95% of available lawn space was gone by 4:30. We squeezed into 2 square feet of grass at the very back of the lawn, near the imprisoned elephants, only to endure 3 more hours in truly miserable heat and full sun. ("NO UMBRELLAS, PLEASE!!") I won't name the concert, but why do performers who otherwise serve as spokespeople for PETA have no problem performing at a zoo? And yes, $50 a ticket for what is hands-down the worst acoustics in town. What is your problem here, Portland? Concerts at the Zoo are pure misery from start to finish.