Terri Clark performance will go on, despite tribe's issues with the venue

HOGANSBURG — Country singer Terri Clark will hit the stage Friday evening, even if the St. Regis Mohawk tribe has washed its hands of the show.

"The concert is going on as scheduled," said Dennis M. Benoit, owner of Concert International, which is promoting the concert at the All Inn Lounge, 439 Route 37, on the reservation.

The Tribal Council on Wednesday announced it will not be responsible for any problems that occur during the concert after the club's owner, Jason A. Cree, neglected to take corrective action in time for the April 9 Collective Soul concert.

In March, the lounge was served notices of violation and suspension from the tribe's Compliance Department. The license suspension was for multiple counts of noncompliance with the tribe's Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, but specific violations were not released.

Instead of taking corrective action, Mr. Cree surrendered all the tribal licenses pertaining to his business, All Inn Lounge and Catering, the tribe said. He could not be reached for comment.

Last month, the tribe said that everyone entering the premises did so at their own risk.

The tribe made Wednesday's announcement to let concertgoers know that the council is not sanctioning the event and bear sno liability for any injuries or crowd-control or other problems, said David Trout Steaddon, the tribe's new public information director.

"We hope nothing like that happens," he said.

Concert International has been promoting shows at the 2,000-person capacity All Inn Lounge since September without incident, Mr. Benoit said.

The same security and emergency medical support will be available for Friday's concert as have been on hand for all of the previous concerts, he said.

"We've had the same setup with every concert and haven't had one problem," he said.

Mr. Benoit said he did not know why the tribe would issue a warning for the show. Ms. Clark is a Canadian country-western performer making her first return to the north country since 1999, when she performed before more than 5,500 people at the Franklin County Fair in Malone. Her hits include "Girls Lie Too," "You're Easy on the Eyes" and "I Just Wanna Be Mad."

Ms. Clark's management company, Spaulding Entertainment, Nashville, did not return phone calls seeking comment.