This news has for the most part remained local unless you are a fan of the bands performing, but here is what happened, and may go down as one of the biggest concert promoting gaffes since Woodstock 99.
A rookie promoter decides to have a Field Day Festival out at the East End of Long Island. The two-day event, to be held June 7-8, was to feature Radiohead, Beastie Boys, Blur, The Roots, and many many others performing. Also, people would be allowed to camp, like at Woodstock and Falcon Ridge.
However, the promoter ran into a huge buzzsaw called local East End politics. First an environmental group tried to stop the show. The promoter made it past that and finally got a permit through that route. Then the local police wasn't going to cooperate, saying they wouldn't be able to bring in enough security. The promoter tried, but failed in this regard, and had no choice but to cancel the event, and move it to Giants Stadium as a one-day stadium show on June 7. Radiohead and The Beastie Boys, the headliners, did sign on for the show, but a lot of bands either got left out, couldn't make it, or said thanks, but not thanks.
People paid $180 for the two-day festival that was going to have 50,000 people. The Giants Stadium show will not accept ANY of these tickets, and instead starting selling tickets as a brand new show, starting at 5 PM on June 4. Tickets for that show are $80 for any seat in the house.
So now a lot of people are feeling very upset. Some have already booked flights, some put a lot of money down on a rental RV that is down the drain, some bought from ticket brokers, and although all tickets are refunded, the Ticketmaster "convenience" charges are gone. Plus they'll have to pay a 2nd convenience charge for the Giants Stadium show, should they choose to go. Some people are talking class-action lawsuit.
So, you'll probably get a half-full Giants Stadium as a result of a poorly planned event, and possibly fights when people with Field Day tickets show up to Giants Stadium only to get turned away. I hope it doesn't come to that.
After this weekend, it won't be over. There is another music festival happening at the same location in Long Island in August. This one is called Bannaroo, the same festival that takes place in Tennessee this summer, starring mainly jam bands including The Dead. So who knows if the same fate will be befall Bannaroo.
Ah the wonders of the music business....
