Washington Festival For Cheap

Several headliners refused to play the seventh annual Darrington Rock Festival near Seattle when promoter Brian Burkel couldn’t produce their guarantees for the August 4-6 event.

Cheap Trick was loaded in and ready to perform at 10 p.m. on August 4th at the Darrington Amphitheatre. The band reportedly could not get the balance of its guarantee, but still offered to go on for $10,000 less than contracted. Meanwhile, Burkel left the festival grounds, Darrington talent buyer Tom Anderson told The Seattle Times.

Neither Cheap Trick’s agency nor management was commenting at press time, and the band had no comment on the advice of its attorneys, spokesman Ben-David Fenwick told Pollstar.

Festivalgoers paid from $75 to $85 per day for the three-day event, according to the Times, and attendees even passed around the hat to encourage Cheap Trick to take the stage.

Bob Conrad of Nighttime Direction, which ran advertising and marketing for the show, told Pollstar that Burkel covered all of the advance deposits prior to show and made good on his 80 percent down payment for advertising costs. However, Conrad – who handled advertising for six years for Colorado promoter Barry Fey – said Burkel wrote him a $36,000 check on August 4th for the remainder of services rendered and the check bounced.

“Apparently he was counting on gate receipts to cover the remainder of the expenses,” Conrad said.

The August 5th lineup went on without a hitch, Conrad said, with Lou Gramm, The Tubes, The Romantics and Dennis DeYoung all taking the stage. It was August 6th when the promoter’s alleged cash problems caused headliners Savoy Brown, Mark Farner, and Randy Bachman to cancel their performances.

The festival did go on, with local bands filling in. It is unclear how many tickets were sold but an estimated 3,000 people reportedly attended the August 5th show.

Meanwhile, Burkel told the Times there would be no refunds. “The Web site was very clear: All bands are subject to cancellation,” he said.

Bachman agent Gilles Paquin told Pollstar his client did not receive the 50 percent balance of his guarantee.

As of August 9th, several phone numbers associated with Burkel were disconnected, according to The Daily Herald of Everett. Likewise, the Web site for the Darrington Amphitheatre and festival – which Conrad said was created by Burkel – was down and the phone number listed was not accepting incoming calls.

No complaints have been filed thus far with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, but Conrad told the paper his agency, Radiocole Creative Media Partners, will consider legal action if it isn’t paid.

Fenwick was asked if Cheap Trick was scheduling a makeup performance.

“While there is no other show confirmed in the area as of yet, the band tours a great deal and will likely return to the area in support of their new album, Rockford,” he told Pollstar.

– Dana Parker-McClain