The Search for Revenue

The Cubs are exploring the possibility of hosting a concert at Wrigley Field for two days over next year's Labor Day weekend, officials said Tuesday.

Team executives have broached the subject with Ald. Thomas Tunney (44th) and, though no artists have been signed, they have floated the name of musician Jimmy Buffett as a possible choice.

"If the Cubs are not in town, Labor Day weekend is normally a quiet weekend" in the Wrigley area, Tunney said. "On the positive side, there would be some economic [benefits] to the community. On the negative side, quality of life issues would be compromised."

Any accord would have to include "significant give-backs to the community," Tunney said.

As part of any agreement, some of the proceeds from the concerts could go to local schools or parks, sources said.

"If we did anything, and it's a big `if,' there are a lot of questions we need to answer first," said Michael Lufrano, Cubs vice president of community affairs. "We would need to make sure we did it in cooperation with our community. We would need to make sure we did it in a way that doesn't harm the field for baseball."

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Gregg Kiriazes, chairman of the Neighborhood Protections Committee of the Lake View Citizens Council, said he has an open mind about limited use of Wrigley for concerts as long as community concerns about crowd and congestion control and other potential problems are addressed.

A concert next year would set a precedent, Kiriazes said. "Any of us would be foolish to say it doesn't. [But] it is a great venue, a great neighborhood and it's a natural. I am surprised something like this hasn't come up before."

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On another front, Cubs officials are studying the possible use of trolleys or shuttle buses to help reduce congestion on game days, Tunney and Lufrano said.

Under consideration is possible service between a nearby Metra station and the ballpark and between Michigan Avenue-area hotels and Wrigley.

The Cubs would install an electronic advertising sign behind home plate at Wrigley Field and add 32 seats to a temporary seating area that would become permanent under a proposal that will be considered by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, officials said Monday.

The 10-by-3-foot sign would be in the frame of the typical television camera shot that takes in the pitcher, catcher and batter.

A total of 80 permanent seats would be installed in an area adjacent to the dugout on the right field side of the park where there have been 48 folding chairs, said Peter Scales, a spokesman for the city's Planning Department. A chain-link fence around the area would be replaced by a brick wall, he said.

"These plans balance the historic preservation of the park with the operating needs of the Chicago Cubs," Scales said. "Therefore, the Planning Department is recommending that the Landmarks Commission approve it."

Because the ballpark is an official city landmark, all proposed changes must undergo commission review. Wrigley Field and the Cubs are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.

The sign would produce $3 million to $5 million in ad revenues annually. For at least the 2005 season, team officials won't accept any advertising for tobacco products or hard liquor, said Michael Lufrano, Cubs vice president of community affairs.