AG To Investigate Joliet Event

The Illinois attorney general is investigating a marketing company that promoted the canceled Bill Jacobs Joliet Summer Concert Series that was expected to take place throughout the summer in Joliet.

John Tesh, Little Richard, Collective Soul, Kings of Leon, Marty Stuart, Merle Haggard, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, and The Verve Pipe were some of the artists scheduled to play the series between June 10th and September 4th.

Instead, Group 7 Marketing, a Naperville marketer that promoted the events, was able to produce only one show before the series was taken off the calendar. Group 7 claims it lost between $80,000 and $100,000 out of the gate.

“The reason why we had to cancel the event was because there was no money available,” Group 7’s Joe Hill told the Herald News after the cancellation. He asked for patience in resolving the matter.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office said November 28th the office was opening an investigation after it received six complaints regarding ticket refunds and other issues, according to the News.

Bill Jacobs, the motor vehicle business that sponsored the event, claims in court filings it paid $30,000 for naming rights and has not received the money back, according to the paper. Hill has not shown up at the court hearings, an attorney for Bill Jacobs said.

According to other court documents, Hill and his wife, Joi, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. He has told the media that Group 7 was not the only party responsible for pulling the plug but did not elaborate.