It's the beginning of a new school year, and things are looking good for A Place for Teens and its youth center, The Outhouse. There's fresh paint on the walls, new floors provided by the San Jose Sharks, new video games and new computers.
There's also a new way of doing things. The organization has partnered with Los GatosSaratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation in a formal capacity which should provide more professionalism for A Place for Teens as well as funding stability.
But there's one important part of The Outhouse missing this year: concert promoter Eric Fanali.
For the past three years, Fanali's company, Grand Fanali Presents, has been responsible for booking shows at The Outhouse. The 24-year-old's role as concert promoter has turned The Outhouse into one of the most popular venues in the Bay Area.
Fanali's involvement brought an edginess to The Outhouse that appealed to high-school students, especially the older ones. These older students weren't interested in hanging out at the center during the day, but stuck around for the concerts on weekend evenings.
Recently, A Place for Teens' board announced it will begin to enforce its policy of restricting concert participants to under 21 years old by checking IDs at the door. Furthermore, where the old policy required "adult" supervision, the new policy specifies five chaperones, all of whom must be at least 25 years old.
Although board members say there have been too many participants over the age limit and that they have come from as far away as the East Bay and San Francisco, it is worth noting that the local police department says The Outhouse has not been a "trouble spot."
Unfortunately, Fanali took issue with the new policy, and severed his relationship with A Place for Teens, saying the new policy goes against his philosophy of serving a group united more by their love of music than their age.
That's too bad because his concerts clearly were a draw for older teens.
But The Outhouse is a very particular kind of venue; it's not a night club. It is a place where teens of all ages, not to mention their parents, can feel comfortable that their night out will be restricted to those in their age group.
While Fanali maintains that the audience at his concerts is made up primarily of teens, he evidently doesn't market The Outhouse as a teen-only venue; he's advertised his shows as "all-ages" concerts in local alternative publications that cater to 20 and 30 year olds.
We'd like to see Fanali have a change of heart and accept the restrictions on his concerts. They aren't draconian, after all, but common-sense rules intended to ensure the comfort and safety of those who want to enjoy this locally supported community resource for teens.
