FRANKLIN — Two back-to-back music festivals at The Rock Sports Complex in Franklin have reignited a familiar debate between concert organizers and the people who live nearby.
Country Rising festival kicked off Friday night, with Tacos and Tequila scheduled for Saturday. The festivals have drawn complaints from nearby residents over the years about noise and profanity.
This is the first year for Country Rising and the fourth for Tacos and Tequila.
Standing in a neighbor's yard off Hawthorne Lane, the music and bass from the venue were clearly audible. John Czaskos, a resident disrupted by the music, said the noise has not improved.
WATCH: A Franklin music festival sparks noise complaints from residents as ROC Ventures makes some changes
"It not any quieter. I can tell you that," said Czaskos. "It's kinda a ridiculous situation. We are here with our home that we built and pay for and we can't enjoy our property or standard of living."
Not every neighbor shares that frustration. Sara Anderson, who lives nearby, said the music does not bother her family.
"We just hang out outside and listen to the music and it doesn't really bother us all that much," said Anderson.
This year, Mike Zimmerman, CEO of ROC Ventures, said changes were made specifically to address noise and profanity complaints. Those changes include additional sound management from a third-party acoustic consultant, adjusted speaker placement, real-time monitoring, and a request that all performing artists put on a PG-13 performance to limit profanity.
"Every year it's gotten a little better. They may feel differently about it. But this is a work in progress and more importantly this is an entertainment district so that's our business plan. We want to continue and try to be good neighbors," Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman also said residents were offered a paid stay-cation if they wished to leave the area.
He also acknowledged the limits of what the venue can control when it comes to artist language.
"The goal for us is just to make sure that that that profanity doesn't leak past the the property line, but in terms of the, you know, we can't control the artists, but what we can do is not bring them back next year," Zimmerman said.
Residents have different experiences when it comes to profanity carrying from the stage. Anderson said she has not been able to make out specific words.
"I have not heard it clearly enough to identify like, okay that's a bad word that my kids could actually hear," said Anderson.
Czaskos said past festivals were worse.
"Years ago it was terrible it was really raunchy," said Czaskos.
Residents expect louder music Friday night and again Saturday during the Tacos and Tequila festival.
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