#251

Author

Back of House
April 29, 2025

Issue #251

Plenty of drama this week. From a somber scene in Vancouver to Fyre Fest crashing (again), it’s been a wild ride. Kneecap stirred things up at Coachella, UK fans are stretching wallets to stay at shows, California’s fighting over ticketing laws, Oasis fans got burned, Aussie festivals scored a lifeline, and Oak View Group just keeps growing. Let’s get into it.

Credit: Rafandalucia via Wikimedia Commons

Fyre Sale 🔥

Just 2 days after “postponing” Fyre Festival 2, Billy McFarland officially canceled the ill-fated redux. McFarland claims the brand is a “movement.” It is “brand is bigger than any one person and bigger than what I’m able to lead on my own” and therefore is “passing the torch” aka selling the brand to “operators and entrepreneurs with strong domain expertise” that can “fully realize its vision.” Is that you? Submit your bid at fyre.mx. 

Call us crazy, but we have a feeling this isn’t the end of Billy McFarland or Fyre Fest.

Kneecap’s controversial Coachella performance

Irish rap trio Kneecap’s Coachella debut was memorable for all the wrong reasons. The band displayed “F**k Israel, Free Palestine” on the screen during their set and has been facing major backlash ever since. In a statement on instagram, they said, “Since our statements at Coachella — exposing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people — we have faced a coordinated smear campaign.” And claim the attacks against them are based on “deliberate distortions and falsehoods.” Prior to the show, they were dropped by booking agency IAG and post-show have been called out by several celebrities and activists.

At least 11 people were killed and more were injured when a man drove a car into a crowd at a Filipino community festival in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday. The 30-year-old driver was arrested at the scene and police said he had “significant history” of interactions with authorities involving mental health. The motives behind the incident are still unknown.

A new survey from LIVE and UK Music shows Brits are still eager to attend concerts, with 63% calling live music essential to their wellbeing. But rising costs are causing concern: 45% say ticket prices make attending harder, and 36% are cutting back elsewhere to afford shows. The survey also revealed concerns around resale and dynamic pricing, with 97% saying resale should be allowed at face value and 91% saying resale at a higher value and dynamic pricing should both be banned. Industry leaders are calling for government support to keep live events accessible.

California’s Assembly Bill 1349, which requires sellers to own or have contractual rights to tickets before listing them, mandates full refunds or credits for postponed or rescheduled events, and enforces clearer disclosure of ticket locations and pricing, is being contested by consumer advocates and ticketing companies not owned by Live Nation. The bill is backed by Live Nation, NIVA and the Music Artists Coalition. Those opposed to it worry that Live Nation will leverage it to “maintain or expand its dominance” and that if enacted, “competition from resale could effectively vanish overnight.”

As the Oasis tour gets closer, Lloyds Bank is estimating that fans have lost $2.7 million to ticket scams, mostly via Meta platforms. More than 1,000 cases of fraud have been reported to Lloyds leading it to estimate that at least 5,000 have been scammed across the UK. The average Oasis fan has been scammed out of $580, about $266 more than the average ticket scam victim loses. The bank warns purchasers not to buy via bank transfer and instead to use a debit, credit, or PayPal account to avoid scammers.

Five Australian festivals experiencing economic challenges have been given a new lifeline. The NSW Government has given Bluesfest, Lost Paradise, Yours and Owls, Listen Out, and Field Day up to $500,000 each out of $2.25 million of emergency funding. The funds can help reduce costs and prioritize health considerations. Bluesfest, which previously announced that this would be its last year, has now confirmed it will hold an event in 2026 due to the new funding.

Oak View Group has partnered with the Berks County Convention Center Authority and will be managing operations, food & beverage, and selling sponsorships for the Santander Arena and Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading, PA starting in July. OVG will also manage the Reading Royals, the minor league hockey team that plays at Santander Arena.

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Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements 

  • Maren Morris announced the “Dreamsicle” World Tour, starting at WeHo Pride in West Hollywood, California, May 30 and ending November 20 in Copenhagen, Germany.

  • Above & Beyond is setting out on a 13-date amphitheater tour starting August 15 in Vancouver, BC and ending October 4 Mountain View, CA.

  • Modest Mouse announced their inaugural Psychic Salamander Festival, September 13 - 14 at Remlinger Farms in Carnation, Washington. Modest Mouse and the Flaming Lips will perform both nights, Built to Spill and Sleater-Kinney are also on the lineup. 

  • Modest Mouse also announced their “Ice Cream Floats” cruise next February 5 - 9 on the Norwegian Pearl. 

  • Green Day, blink-182, Weezer, Jack White, The Sex Pistols will headline the 20th Anniversary of Riot Fest, September 19 - 21 at Chicago’s Douglass Park.

  • Shaboozy is going out on “The Great American Roadshow Tour,” following his Coachella and Stagecoach performances. The tour starts September 22 in Indianapolis, IN and ends October 16 in Orlando, FL. 

  • Doechii, Lucy Dacus & Clairo will headline All Things Go New York, at Forest Hills Stadium in NYC, September 26 - 28, the same weekend as All Things Go DC, which will have a similar lineup.

  • Mempho Music Festival announced Tyler Childers, Charley Crockett, and Sierra Ferrell, October 3 - 5 at Radians Amphitheater at Memphis Botanic Garden in Memphis, TN.

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