Update: Rock Gone Wild Refunds Still Up In The Air
August 18, 2009, 15 years ago
Larry Ballard from Desmoinesregister.com is reporting:
Organizers have pulled the plug on Rock Gone Wild, a four-day music festival scheduled for this weekend in northern Iowa. But uncertainty continues to swirl over whether ticket holders, some of whom paid more than $500 for "premium" passes to the event, will get their money back.
The "mega concert," first slated Aug. 20-23 for Freedom Park in Algona, was moved earlier this month to the parking lot outside the Diamond Jo Casino near Northwood.
The cancellation announcement showed up last week on a promotional website that blamed "the abrupt and unexpected loss of our venue." Organizers pointed the finger at the casino for "refusing to honor its obligation."
But the chief of operations for the Diamond Jo's parent company said Monday that concert promoter Donnie Frizzell "never had a signed agreement with us."
Despite "a lot of verbal talks," Frizzell's company did not provide proof of liability insurance necessary to make the show happen, said Jonathan Swain of Peninsula Gaming.
"They can blame us. They will sue us. But there was no contract," Swain said.
Frizzell did not return telephone calls.
The festival's roster of 50 bands included hard-rock stalwarts TWISTED SISTER and SKID ROW. Uncertainty over where it would be staged has worried fans like Dave Hockett of Marion, who last fall paid $565 for a ticket and another $120 for a camping pass to the Woodstock-style event.
An estimated $450,000 in tickets had been sold before sales were suspended earlier this month.
Read more here.
