Daily Pulse

Desert Fest A Mirage?

Desert Hot Springs is working with world-renowned promoter Tony Clarke to bring a major music festival to the California city but it’s ran into two snags: one, it paid $250,000 to Clarke whether the show goes on or not and, two, who’s Tony Clarke?

Clarke won a no-bid contract to produce the inaugural Wellness and World Music Festival through a lofty presentation to the city council, citing his “world-famous” status as a producer of events by the likes of Johnny Cash, Michael Jackson and Nirvana, plus his CEO status of two indie labels, according to Palm Springs’ Desert Sun.

That was 13 months ago. Since then, the festival has been delayed twice and Clarke has kept mum on its progress, speaking to the Sun for an hour off the record. More to the point, there is the following language in the contract:

“The terms of this agreement do not guarantee that the festival will occur.”

The city council has rebuked Clarke for a lack of “substantive” updates, and Clarke has acknowledged that the business address he used on his contract with the city – 578 Washington Blvd. in Marina Del Rey, Suite 590 – is a P.O. Box at a UPS store, the Sun said.

“He is contractually obligated to put on the concert,” City Manager Rick Daniels told the paper. “If he doesn’t, he’s going to owe us the money back. Period.”

Daniels said there was no background check on Clarke.

“I did a sufficient check in my mind,” he said. “Did I ask the police to check on him? No. He was what he appeared to be, and that is a festival promoter.”

Clarke also refused to tell the Sun the names of the two indie record companies he has claimed to run. The company he started to run this festival is called Tresed Ventures, “desert” spelled in reverse.

The festival was slated for Oct. 9-10, 2010, at Mission Springs Park and a billboard for it was placed on a nearby Interstate.

Producers had announced yoga experts would appear, along with wellness expert Steven Gundry, and Ziggy Marley was named the headlining act, according to the paper. Daniels then announced the city would postpone the event until spring in part because “we overreached.” Organizers shot for mid-March or May. Now it’s been postponed indefinitely.

Tony Clarke is not a name currently in Pollstar’s contact database.
 

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