Fans brave mud in Halifax for free concert
Updated Sat. Jul. 4 2009 4:45 PM ET
The Canadian Press
HALIFAX -- Music fans got an unexpected invitation to a free concert Saturday after The Tragically Hip had to cancel their headlining spot because of an illness in the family.
The gates were thrown open at the Virgin Festival Nova Scotia site at the foot of Citadel Hill, allowing fans to hear The Offspring, Metric, Dinosaur Jr. and five other bands for free.
"The show goes on," said Andrew Bridge, the festival's director. "We built this great festival, we want Haligonians to enjoy it."
People who already purchased tickets will be refunded.
Less than 24 hours before the festival started, The Tragically Hip pulled out citing "a serious family medical issue." Organizers didn't offer details on the nature of the problem.
It's the first time a headliner has cancelled at a Virgin Festival.
"It's kind of one of those things that happens. It's lost revenue," said Bridge, who remained optimistic about the festival's success. He said the free concert could be good for marketing.
"Giving that brand experience is what it's all about."
Organizers originally hoped to sell 15,000 tickets but wouldn't say how many were sold before the decision was made to make it a free festival.
Bridge said he didn't know how many people would show up on such short notice but said the site can accommodate up to 30,000 people.
He didn't say how much the company would lose by turning it into a free festival.
In-Flight Safety, Handsome Furs, Arkells, Dog Day and Hey Rosetta! were also scheduled to perform throughout the day.
It rained sporadically early in the day and concert goers were soon wading through puddles and muck to get a view of the stage.
"We're pretty muddy but we'll see how it goes," said Shelley Hartling, who spent $160 on VIP tickets before the gates were thrown open to everybody.
"I wanted to go but didn't want to spend the money," said Paul Brown. "So this is kind of nice to get to check it out."
Others were disappointed not to see the Hip but were making the best of it.
"I'm having a great time," said Marco Flores, who bought advance tickets and travelled from Fredericton for the concert.
"It's great that it's free and that we're getting reimbursed but it's too bad (the Hip) had to pull out," he said.
Bridge said organizers considered a range of options -- from letting the festival continue with full-price tickets to cancelling all performances. In the end, they made a few adjustments and decided to proceed.
They pushed back performance times to allow the concert to run later and asked some acts to play longer.
Organizers also hired more security and rearranged the site to accommodate more people.
The Hip's cancellation wasn't the only last-minute change for the festival.
On Thursday, promoters announced that people who bought tickets could bring a friend in for free.
Bridge said this change wasn't the result of poor ticket sales, which he said had "remained brisk." Instead, the idea for the special offer came from the very top of the Virgin organization.
"Richard Branson said to us, why don't we open this up to more people and get the festival exposed to many east coasters as we can?" Bridge said.
This is the first time the Virgin Festival has come to Halifax.
"I wish the weather was a little sunnier but I hear Haligonions are quite hearty and they'll still come out with their boots on," Bridge said before the gates opened.
Concert goers were encouraged to bring a donation for a local food bank in lieu of entrance fees.
Updated Sat. Jul. 4 2009 4:45 PM ET
The Canadian Press
HALIFAX -- Music fans got an unexpected invitation to a free concert Saturday after The Tragically Hip had to cancel their headlining spot because of an illness in the family.
The gates were thrown open at the Virgin Festival Nova Scotia site at the foot of Citadel Hill, allowing fans to hear The Offspring, Metric, Dinosaur Jr. and five other bands for free.
"The show goes on," said Andrew Bridge, the festival's director. "We built this great festival, we want Haligonians to enjoy it."
People who already purchased tickets will be refunded.
Less than 24 hours before the festival started, The Tragically Hip pulled out citing "a serious family medical issue." Organizers didn't offer details on the nature of the problem.
It's the first time a headliner has cancelled at a Virgin Festival.
"It's kind of one of those things that happens. It's lost revenue," said Bridge, who remained optimistic about the festival's success. He said the free concert could be good for marketing.
"Giving that brand experience is what it's all about."
Organizers originally hoped to sell 15,000 tickets but wouldn't say how many were sold before the decision was made to make it a free festival.
Bridge said he didn't know how many people would show up on such short notice but said the site can accommodate up to 30,000 people.
He didn't say how much the company would lose by turning it into a free festival.
In-Flight Safety, Handsome Furs, Arkells, Dog Day and Hey Rosetta! were also scheduled to perform throughout the day.
It rained sporadically early in the day and concert goers were soon wading through puddles and muck to get a view of the stage.
"We're pretty muddy but we'll see how it goes," said Shelley Hartling, who spent $160 on VIP tickets before the gates were thrown open to everybody.
"I wanted to go but didn't want to spend the money," said Paul Brown. "So this is kind of nice to get to check it out."
Others were disappointed not to see the Hip but were making the best of it.
"I'm having a great time," said Marco Flores, who bought advance tickets and travelled from Fredericton for the concert.
"It's great that it's free and that we're getting reimbursed but it's too bad (the Hip) had to pull out," he said.
Bridge said organizers considered a range of options -- from letting the festival continue with full-price tickets to cancelling all performances. In the end, they made a few adjustments and decided to proceed.
They pushed back performance times to allow the concert to run later and asked some acts to play longer.
Organizers also hired more security and rearranged the site to accommodate more people.
The Hip's cancellation wasn't the only last-minute change for the festival.
On Thursday, promoters announced that people who bought tickets could bring a friend in for free.
Bridge said this change wasn't the result of poor ticket sales, which he said had "remained brisk." Instead, the idea for the special offer came from the very top of the Virgin organization.
"Richard Branson said to us, why don't we open this up to more people and get the festival exposed to many east coasters as we can?" Bridge said.
This is the first time the Virgin Festival has come to Halifax.
"I wish the weather was a little sunnier but I hear Haligonions are quite hearty and they'll still come out with their boots on," Bridge said before the gates opened.
Concert goers were encouraged to bring a donation for a local food bank in lieu of entrance fees.
