Lone Star Fest A Mess

The Lone Star Music Festival was scheduled to take place in November on Houston’s Discovery Green and feature artists including blink-182, Steve Aoki, and Sublime with Rome, among others.

Organizers pulled the plug on the show weeks after it was announced, and fans like Jessica Crain have been unsuccessful in getting refunds thus far, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Craine told the paper she contacted Ticketfly and was initially assured refunds would be issued, then was told during a later call “that they would not be issuing any refunds at the request of the client.”

The concert, organized by TAB Management’s Tom Bunch and the director of The Houston Institute For Culture, Mark Lacy, apparently suffered from contractual disputes that eventually led to a cancellation.

Bunch didn’t respond to a request for comment but Lacy told the Chronicle the event was supposed to raise funds for his nonprofit, which is now on shaky ground. He added that his organization has only put on small events in the past and that he didn’t think Bunch had a contingency plan in place in case the show was canceled.

In a statement, the Houston Institute For Culture explained, “while we believed the planning of the event was substantial and looked forward to its successful presentation, several of the key artists presented contract terms that were different than what Tom Bunch and his associates originally negotiated with them. The unforeseen circumstances caused the event to be canceled.

“Upon notifying the planned artists about the event cancelation, Tom Bunch announced that he was no longer involved in the event, which left the organization with substantial debt,” the statement said. “Houston Institute for Culture is working with others involved to resolve problems related to the cancelation to the best of its ability.”

Lacy added to the paper that he attempted to pay ticketholders back until money ran out and estimated his organization took an $18,000 hit on the planning and marketing costs for the show. “Following the current season of programs, Houston Institute for Culture will evaluate its plans for the future,” the statement said.