ST. PETERSBURG — Mark Ferguson said he's scrapping a new concert series at Ferg's, his popular sports bar across from Tropicana Field, because of noise complaints.

"We don't want the hassle," Ferguson said Friday, which was also his 59th birthday. "We don't want people mad at us."

A lawyer for Fusion, the apartments next door to Ferg's, alerted him Thursday that his neighbors were unhappy with the noise from the large outdoor concerts on his property.

The concerts, which began about a month ago, have drawn thousands to 1320 Central Ave. for performances by Warrant, Blue Oyster Cult, Tone Loc and Digital Underground.

"We like to listen to the community. When they tell us they don't like the noise and the lights shining on them, if there's no way to fix it, we won't do it."

Representatives of Fusion couldn't be reached for comment.

Ferguson, who announced his partnership with music promoter John C. "Jack" Bodziak and others in September, said he hadn't realized how large the stage would be.

"It's like an Olympic-size stage," he said of the 60-foot area seemingly steps from the east-facing windows and balconies of the Fusion complex.

"It was 20 feet away from their property," Ferguson said as he sat in the establishment he has owned for 23 years.

Ferg's marketing and events manager, Eddie Peters, who lives at Fusion, said every resident was given a free pass to the concerts. Many took the offer, he said.

For now, that's over.

"Right now, we're not going to cause any more problems for the Fusion," Ferguson said. "We want to be good neighbors."

Friday's country concert starring John Michael Montgomery, Darryl Worley and Jason Michael Carroll was canceled because of poor ticket sales, not complaints, Ferguson said.

Shows planned for the rest of the year and early next year have also have been called off, he said.