State of Mid-Level & Boutique Festivals (Pollstar Live! Panel Preview)

Moderator
Eric Gilbert | CEO, Duck Club Entertainment

Speakers
Bryan Benson | Live Nation / C3 Presents
Josh Kurfirst | Partner and Global Head of Festivals, WME
Chamie McCurry | GM/CMO, Danny Wimmer Presents
Chris Porter | Music Curator, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
Bruce Solar | Partner/Agent, Paladin Artists

As part of the kick-off of 2025’s festival season, Treefort Music Fest just took over downtown Boise, Idaho, for five days of music March 26-30, as well as comedy, art, yoga, film, storytelling and more. The lineup boasted more than 400 artists, topped by Remi Wolf, SOFI TUKKER, Shakey Graves and Bright Eyes. The event, which is produced by Duck Club Entertainment, took place at dozens of venues including Duck Club’s own 1,000-capacity Treefort Music Hall and 700-capacity Shrine Social Club, with a capacity of around 10,000 people a day at the main festival site located in Julia Davis Park.

Treefort Music Fest is a perfect example of a mid-level festival that is continuing to thrive.Eric Gilbert, CEO of Duck Club Entertainment, will share some insights and guide a great conversation at the moderator of the panel “State of Mid-Level & Boutique Festivals.”

While many festivals have cracked the code on tapping into consumer tastes of music and lifestyle, cancellation headlines reared their ugly heads last season and smaller festivals are facing challenges beyond just the weather. Veterans of the space will take on the current state and future of a space that remains crucial to the overall health of the live music economy.

The panel’s speakers include Live Nation/C3 Presents’ Bryan Benson, WME’s Josh Kurfirst, Danny Wimmer Presents’ Chamie McCurry, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’ Chris Porter and Paladin Artists’ Bruce Solar.

Benson is the Lead Booker for Live Nation Nashville and a Talent Buyer for C3 Presents. In his role at C3 Presents, Bryan is the lead booker for several major festivals including Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Railbird Festival, High Water Festival, Boston Calling Music Festival, Soundside Music Festival, and South Star Music Festival.

Kurfirst is a partner and Global Head of Festivals at WME, known as an architect of the modern-day festival booking department, and on the booking teams for Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Weezer, The War on Drugs and Maneskin / Damiano David and more.

McCurry is the GM/CMO of Danny Wimmer Presents, whose festivals, largely four days and above 40,000 capacity, include Aftershock, Bourbon & Beyond, Golden Sky, Inkcarceration, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple and Welcome To Rockville.

Bruce Solar is a partner and agent at Paladin Artists. Upcoming festivals featuring his clients include Capitol Grove in Hartford, Connecticut (“I have CAKE and Fantastic Negrito on one stage … [it’s a] very eclectic lineup”), BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach, California, (“a fun one next to the beach and a really nice mix of artists – we have both Sublime and CAKE”) and Calgary Folk Fest (“CAKE and Fantastic Negrito. What’s unique about this one is there are smaller get togethers for the crowd with some of the artists.”) His artists also include Blondie, Brian Wilson, Psychedelic Furs, The Zombies, Eels, Jet, Band of Skulls, and Jeff Bridges.

Chris Porter has been the Music Curator for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass since 2018. He also produces The Town and The City Festival in Lowell, Massachusetts, and serves as a member of the advisory board for Freakout Festival in Seattle, as well as booking Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, California. After spending 18 years at One Reel, the producers of Seattle’s Bumbershoot, he returned to program the festival for 2024.