No Price Tag For Weekend Festivites

It's hard to argue with Mayor Michael Nutter's assertion that this weekend's big music festival featuring Jay-Z and Pearl Jam will raise Philadelphia's profile. These are big names that will draw a massive audience and create a buzz across the Twittersphere and blogosphere.

And, sure, he is probably correct when he says "We believe that we have the capacity, the infrastructure and the knowledge to be able to do this, and do it well."

However, there are a lot of vague references (the concert will provide "short-, medium- and long-term benefits.") but not a lot of details. When it comes to the expense to the city, we're told that officials have a general idea and that festival organizers will bear part of the burden. Real numbers won't be available until later in September.

Why aren't more specifics available and why isn't Mr. Nutter being held accountable for providing those details? This could be a great plus for Philadelphia, but it could end up being a big financial loss, too.