The Replacements (Thank You, Jack White!): Music Festivals Adapt to Last-Minute Changes

Putting together a music festival lineup any time is complicated at best. With volatility seemingly the only constant at times, that already-complicated process can compound quickly as show time approaches.

“Between the time we got the news (Queens of the Stone Age canceling for health reasons) and the time we announced Jack White as the replacement, was less than 72 hours,” says Jeff Bransford, producer and director of Mempho Music Festival in Memphis, which took place Oct. 4-6 at Radians Amphitheater at Memphis Botanic Garden.
Contrast that quick turnaround with the time it takes to put together a festival and the last-minute loss of a headliner may be a unique challenge for festival producers, who confirm the bulk of their music lineups up to a year in advance and then have to scramble to find something that works for both fan and festival.

“We’re happy Jack White was available and willing to do it,” Bransford said. White, who released a solo album titled No Name in July, announced in August he would embark on an
unorthodox concert tour of pop-up gigs, backyard barbecues “and a few festivals.”

“With this tour in support of his new record, the way he’s releasing his tour dates allows flexibility with his schedule,” said Bransford. “It happened very quickly. You can imagine the inventory of assets that had to change very quickly, from advertising and admats, that needed to change really quickly … really, Jack was our first choice. There were financial considerations and other things we had to work through quickly, but it landed exactly where we wanted it to.”

For multiple events, White has become this season’s de-facto festival Plan B go-to, having also filled in for Foo Fighters and QOTSA at Bridgeport, Connecticut’s Soundside Festival Sept. 28-29. Worth noting: White himself was set to headline the now-canceled Desert Daze Oct. 10-13 at Lake Perris, California, promoted by Knitting Factory Presents, which cited “rising production costs and a volatile festival market.”

A solid booking replacement, like White, means fewer disappointed fans and, hopefully, fewer refund requests. “We’re a fan-first festival, and obviously we want to honor the folks that specifically wanted to see Queens, so we are honoring refunds for those customers,” explained Bransford, who said there were “very few” requests ahead of the event. “It’s been overwhelming positivity that we’re seeing on socials right now in terms of Jack.”

Mempho’s last-minute booking follows other high-profile summer fests facing similar situations, with various levels of notice, such as Chappell Roan, who pulled out of the dual-city All Things Go festival one day before showtime. Cancellations and postponements are a way of life in the concert industry, and there’s been a raft of them this year, from festival headliner pullouts to mid-tour irreconcilable differences (Jane’s Addiction, Fugees, REO Speedwagon) to late cancellations (Desert Daze, J.Lo, Black Keys tours ) to weather events (Lovers & Friends, Nocturnal Wonderland).

Neil Young’s tour with Crazy Horse was cut short when the band announced unspecified illness and canceled its remaining dates, which included two festivals — the Eddie Vedder-curated beachside Ohana Festival in SoCal, and Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky. The promoters for both events found a worthy replacement in Sting.

“I was determined to come through with something that was very notable so those who bought tickets were still excited, and maybe even generate some new interest,” said Del Williams, global head of talent for Danny Wimmer Presents, producer of Bourbon & Beyond, which this year drew a record-setting 210,000 fans. “The response was great and we only had a few returns. When you have 50,000-plus tickets and 10 people want refunds, that’s pretty good.”

Williams credits the festival’s reputation and longstanding relationships with agents and managers for being able to make the booking happen with relatively low drama.

“We did consider many options, maybe even having Zach Bryan do a second day, or just moving up Matchbox Twenty, because they’re obviously great artists,” he explained. “But I said the opportunity might be there for Sting, so let’s try to make that happen.”

The following weekend, DWP’s Louder Than Life metal festival that takes place at the same site was marred by high winds and rain storms as Hurricane Helene battered the southeast, forcing the cancellation of Friday’s programming. DWP says refund details are forthcoming, but has let fans know that anyone disappointed in missing a reunited Slayer’s Friday night set can reach out for arrangements to see the band at Aftershock festival in Sacramento, the only other chance to see the thrash metal pioneers this year.

Music festivals are also vulnerable to weather and can find themselves in a tough spot between “rain or shine” and fan-friendly. BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach, California, a locale famously known for moderate weather year-round, was cut short on its third and final night, May 5, when wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour made for unsafe conditions.
When ZZ Top’s set was cut a few songs short around 5 p.m., the 10,000 attendees were instructed to evacuate before learning the event would not resume. Fans hoping to see Trey Anastasio, My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes that night were further disappointed when the winds later died down, making for a beautiful Los Angeles evening.

“I’m born and raised here and I’ve never seen the wind come up so fast like that,” said Allen Sanford, partner and producer of the three-day event that takes place in May.

The festival’s evacuation plan, worked out with the city and local police, stipulated stopping the event if winds topped 50 miles per hour, which a security drone was monitoring during the event. During the set, line array speaker cabinets swayed in the wind along with Billy Gibbons’ trademark beard — as he joked onstage “can someone turn down the fan?”

“It became apparent fast,” said Sanford. “Not only were winds exceeding the maximum, but I was starting to see loose structures and, with so many kids there, too, it was the (prudent) decision to make. That next day, waking up for me could have been really different. I’m in this business to show people a good time. I’m in this business to create memories. I don’t know how I would have dealt with being responsible for hurting somebody.”

Fans had a mixed reaction to the evacuation, with some littering social media with complaints after the wind died down, and claiming that the festival was fleecing fans by cutting things short. The rest of the event went on as planned without incident, with capacity crowds to see Sting, Seal, Devo, Incubus and Dirty Heads.

“The amazing part is, having to evacuate 10,000 people, we did it in 22 minutes,” Sanford said. “I would have never dreamed we would have ever had to evacuate.”

A few weeks later, festival officials announced they would be offer refunds to those who attended Sunday, with the option of obtaining a discount for next year’s event. Sanford says negotiations with the festival’s  insurance provider are still taking place, and he makes no bones about the financial impact of the shortened day compounded with offering refunds.

“You never do an ethical thing for business reasons, you do an ethical thing because it’s the right thing to do,” said Sanford, adding that more than 50% of attendees to Sunday requested refunds. “This year was our year to say, OK, even though we were clear on the website that there’s no refunds, even though we offered you insurance up front, we understand that you might have missed that. I’m hoping that the community takes notice and that the industry takes notice in general, and this becomes kind of protocol.”

Sanford says the response has been positive and he hopes to see the refund offering as an investment in goodwill with fans committing to attending future events. The festival started in 2019 and didn’t happen in 2020 due to COVID. He scoffs at some social media comments that the festival would prefer to end early, and says he mostly feels sympathy for staff that had to deal with rude comments and customers.

Coming from the restaurant business and having other ventures apart from BeachLife festival, Sanford acknowledges he’s fortunate to weather the financial blow of offering refunds. However, he says that those who can’t shouldn’t be putting on events in the first place.

“It shows that we’re in this for the long haul,” he said. “When we started this business, we weren’t gambling and we properly funded the business, and we’re pretty fiscally conservative people. It hurts; it wipes out a year’s worth of work. We’ve taken some time to rebound. We’re booking for 2025 and we’re in a nice place to have a successful year. Statistically, we should never have a high wind event again, knock on wood. But you never know.”