Daily Light reporter Amy Burk: Country Thunder officials announced Wednesday that they have been forced to cancel the Texas festival that was planned for May 29-June 1. In a press release, they said their decision was based on several factors including “a depressed economy, low ticket sales and the financial outcome of last year’s event after catastrophic rainfall and the cancellation of 70 percent of the artists.” “We really hope they’ll give the festival an opportunity to grow in Texas. Bad weather last year ruined things for everyone involved. They have these kinds of festivals up north all summer long and it just hasn’t been tried in Texas for a long time. If people are just able to experience it they will want to come back and be a part of it every year.” -- Artist Neil McCoy, in a telephone interview with the Daily Light just hours before the announcement. His show was one of the ones canceled due to the weather last year.
It's getting harder to justify huge event shows as the number of acts who can draw the very large crowds they require gets smaller, so their prices have gone into the stratosphere.
You can't blame a promoter for a bit of risk aversion in that challenging financial environment.
Sadly, it doesn't bode well for more giant outdoor country music shows until some new superstars emerge on the upswing who can be booked, hopefully for next summer, at realistic prices for both fans and promoters, or is the future more festival shows owned by the superstars themselves?
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