Erin Park
MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- Slurpees, hot dogs and breakfast burritos
before 10 a.m. may not be everyone's idea of an eye-opener, but throw in
the rock band Everclear and the mix was just right for about 500 fans who
turned out a Burbank 7-Eleven Tuesday morning.
"Breakfast with Everclear" took center stage at 9 a.m. in the parking
lot of the 7-Eleven store at Glenoaks Boulevard and Buena Vista Street.
The band played a short set as part of a KROQ 106.7 promotional event and
answered questions from the audience during the station's Kevin and Bean
morning show.
In celebration of the date 7/11, Slurpees, hot dogs, breakfast
burritos, and Bakery Sticks were given away to the crowd. 7-Eleven and
KROQ picked up the bill.
The crowd, which ranged from adoring fans to commuters stopping in for
coffee, got an intimate look at the popular band in a practically ideal
concert setting.
Everclear front man Art Alexakis pranced on stage with bandmates,
encouraging those in the crowd to help themselves to a Slurpee.
"Tell 'em it's on Art," he said.
Regular customers who were not prepared for the mini-concert were
pleasantly surprised by the event, said Wayne Fisher, a market manager
for 7-Eleven.
"Free items put everyone in a good mood," he said.
The KROQ entourage didn't get in the way of the store's business, said
Fisher, who described the crowd as mild-mannered and subdued.
"Their listening audience lines up perfectly with ours -- it's very
natural," he said.
Among the mostly casual crowd, a handful of business suits could be
spotted in the parking lot.
"I'm kinda playing hooky," said Charles Martinez, a chauffeur with
Gemstar Limousine.
Dan Savage, a manager at Amtech Elevator, also took an extended break
from work to hear the band as he was driving back from a meeting.
Five motor officers from the Burbank Police Department were on site,
along with two off-duty officers hired for security, police officials
said.
Some neighbors complained of noise during the 7 a.m. sound check and
asked that it be postponed an hour, which the station agreed to do. A few
fans were cited for parking illegally but Burbank Sgt. Pat Lynch said the
concert was mostly uneventful.
KROQ Event Coordinator Stephen Hutchison was in charge of getting the
necessary permits and notifying the neighbors by putting flyers on their
doors last week.
"We work really well with the city," he said.
Arthur Harris, who manages the neighboring Carrows Restaurant, wasn't
complaining despite the fact some of the concert goers parked in his lot.
Business increased by about 25% because of the concert, he said.
"We were understaffed, but it was okay. They were good tippers,"
Harris said.
For staffers at 7-Eleven, the biggest problem was running out of
Slurpees, Fisher said.
That didn't trouble Alexakis though.
"I usually buy a pack of gum," he said.
