Live Nation Leaves Suburbia

Live Nation Entertainment, which hosted the inaugural Suburbia Music Festival in Plano, Texas, earlier this year, has pulled the plug on the event. But city officials are “extremely optimistic” they can find another promoter to carry on, albeit under another name.

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The company “felt they gave it a good shot but the economics just didn’t work,” Plano City Manager Bruce Glasscock told the Dallas Morning News after Live Nation’s exit was announced Dec. 1.

The two-day fest pulled in some 20,000 fans in May and “received rave reviews from music critics,” Glasscock said.

Plano is located just north of Dallas, and considered part of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. Among the diverse artists performing were David Guetta, Alabama Shakes, J. Cole, Tegan and Sara, and emerging artists including American Authors, Shakey Graves, and Echosmith.

City officials say they intend to issue a Request For Proposals to stage another, similar festival in 2015. It won’t be called “Suburbia,” as Live Nation owns the name.

“While we are disappointed Live Nation decided not to take this journey with us, we are extremely optimistic we will find a great partner to continue producing a world class music festival,” Parks and Recreation Director Amy Fortenberry said in a statement to the Morning News. “We are in the process of making improvements at Oak Point Park that will make this incredible scenic location an even better venue for a music festival.”