City Center’s Good Vibes music venue closed after noise complaints from Newport News residents
Matt Lockhart felt good vibes when he opened his live music venue in Newport News’ City Center at Oyster Point late last year.
But when the vibes turned bad, Lockhart decided to close the business, Good Vibes Concert Hall and Event Venue.
A musician and property developer who hails from Newport News, Lockhart said he sunk his life’s savings into the 17,000-square-foot space featuring a DJ booth, stage, VIP room and guitar-shaped centerpiece bar.
The location, at the corner of Mariners Row and Merchants Walk, operated from 2012 to 2015 as Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, a national chain based on the country singer’s song title. Boathouse Live, named for the iconic Norfolk venue, operated as a restaurant and music venue there from 2017 to 2019.
Lockhart said he had spent several hundred thousand dollars on a top-of-the-line sound system, video screens and lighting in an attempt to revive City Center’s retail and entertainment scene.
The problems, he said, started shortly after his grand opening in December, six months after Lockhart signed a five-year lease. Complaints from surrounding residential neighbors in the mixed-use development came in fast and fierce regarding sound issues as soon as the first acts hit the stage.
Kelly King, public information officer for Newport News police, said a summons was issued to the music venue in June for noise from sound system devices and disturbing the peace. King emailed a log of noise complaints tied to the business address that showed two dozen calls from City Center neighbors since 2012, including 14 this year.
“I never wanted to bother people; music is supposed to be for enjoyment,” Lockhart said.
Lockhart said he conducted multiple sound level tests to assure they were operating within the legal range. He said he was told the only way to diminish the frequencies, which caused wall shaking inside neighboring homes due to the development’s connected infrastructure, was to turn down the bass.
“But then you’re not providing to your customers what they signed up for, which is a banging good music show,” Lockhart said.
Lockhart said he would have thought the landlord and property manager were aware of the previous sound complaints.
Eva Wiggins, spokesperson for City Center manager Harvey Lindsay Commercial Real Estate, said neither the firm nor the ownership group has a comment at this point.
In the meantime, Lockhart said the building is shuttered, along with a lot of his personal items and professional equipment property locked inside.
He said he had presented an idea to cut the building in half, build a sound resistant wall to lower the occupancy from 1,100 to 400 people, and turn the front half into a cafe/restaurant.
That way, Lockhart said the concert space wouldn’t require major national acts to stay open and — although not what he wanted to create with Good Vibes — it could be a way to move forward and make it work.
But, the business owner said despite his deep investment and good faith, the music at Good Vibes is now silent.
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
