Various artists, including the likes of Sevendust and more pulled out of the ‘LaconiaFest‘ earlier this month in Laconia, NH, while numerous bands who did show up were either left unpaid or financially in the hole, thanks to paying to play in advance. The planned 9-day festival came to a premature end days earlier than expected, though artists such as Steven Tyler, Bret Michaels and more did take to the stage. Extremely low attendance (some estimate 50 people during non-headliner sets on the first day) was apparently the nail in the coffin.
The event was opened up to the public for free on the second day, in a bid to try to get some foot traffic in, but refunds to those who had previously paid for admittance was not offered in turn. The change in price wasn’t enough to turn the tide however and the festival was cancelled days later under the weight of its own financial strain.
According to a report on WMUR.com, in addition to various bands going unpaid, numerous workers, including grounds crew, electricians, vendors and more were also stiffed on payment.
One artist who was scheduled to play, Valor & Vengeance, identified the festival’s promoter as Tyler Glover. They stated via their Facebook:
Digitalmusicnews.com have written up an extensive report of the disastrous festival, complete with some rather unsavory allegations. According to the The Laconia Daily Sun, the police are now looking into the matter.
