In a totally predictable, however tragically unlucky occasion for artists, bands, and patrons, Gordy’s Hwy 30 Music Fest in Filer, Idaho can be canceling their 2025 occasion scheduled for June 18-21. An e-mail went out Monday morning (4-28) to reserving brokers for the performers, notifying them of the cancellation (see beneath), although the pageant is asking performers to not make any bulletins till 4:00 pm Mountain time.
With headliners Ole 60, Aaron Lewis, Luke Grimes, and Morgan Wade—together with some 30 whole bands scheduled for 2025—this leaves these performers within the lurch for his or her summer season plans, with many routing their touring round their Gordy’s HWY 30 look. Performers additionally needed to take care of an aggressive radius clause, which didn’t permit them to plan some other appearances in Idaho and surrounding areas round their look on the fest.
An e-mail obtained by Saving Nation Music from quite a few reserving brokers reads partially,
“After a really thorough assembly with our workforce this weekend, it’s with a heavy coronary heart that we’re reaching out as we speak with tough information relating to Hwy 30 Music Pageant. Attributable to financial circumstances past our management and Gordy’s continued decline in well being, we’ve got made the extremely tough determination to cancel Hwy 30 Music Pageant 2025. After 12 superb years of bringing music to our group, this determination was not made frivolously, and we perceive the frustration it will trigger for everybody concerned…”
As one reserving agent instructed Saving Nation Music Monday morning, “Everyone’s pissed. We’ve signed contracts. These individuals [Hwy 30] have simply tugged at heartstrings, and made individuals really feel dangerous for them.”
Sundance Head who was scheduled to carry out posted on social media Monday morning,
Nicely Hell…… i want a date in Idaho june 19 urgently!! my whole month of June was routed round this date …. HWY 30 has cancelled – tremendous shi**y factor to do it was my anchor date!! It places me and plenty of different artist/households in an enormous bind. Once I accepted the provide to play this fest I instantly took lots of dangerous mouthing from fellow artist and others within the enterprise for accepting the contract.
That they had cancelled HWY 30 Texas and it burned lots of people. I’m a person who has seen many issues change and I believed that Gordy was attempting to make good. That’s what I instructed individuals and I really defended him usually saying hey – individuals can change and generally they only want a serving to hand – I imply take a look at my life and the way it has circled with the assist and steering of household and pals that lend a serving to hand.
Sadly I’m loyal to a fault and this time the silver lining turned out to be sinue!! I’m actually unhappy that this has occurred – I wished Gordy to make good and I believed in him. I’m sorry that we’ll not be taking part in the present and sit up for seeing you once more down the highway. All I can say at this level is – good luck GS I hope that you could find peace and solitude in your spirit.
On February thirteenth, Saving Nation Music posted an in-depth investigation into Gordy Schroeder and HWY 30 Music Fest, stemming from the cancellation of their deliberate 2nd Annual pageant in Texas within the fall of 2024. After shedding an estimated $1 million on the preliminary 2023 Texas pageant, they tried to go ahead with the 2024 pageant, particularly after promoting some 3,000 early chicken tickets for the 2024 occasion.
In 2023, Gordy’s HWY 30 Music Fest determined to increase into Texas, and introduced a large lineup for the 4-day occasion at Fort Price’s Texas Motor Speedway in October. Zach Bryan, Cody Jinks, Koe Wetzel, and Dierks Bentley have been introduced as headliners. It was top-of-the-line pageant lineups in nation music all yr.
Nonetheless, after the 2023 Texas pageant turned a monetary debacle, Gordy’s HWY 30 was blacklisted by most of the main reserving companies. The 2024 Texas fest then had hassle discovering expertise, ultimately reserving performers like Nelly, Vanilla Ice, Colour Me Badd, together with a number of up-and-coming bands to try to fill the roster. Then after a public backlash towards the lineup, Gordy’s HWY 30 ultimately postponed the 2024 Texas pageant solely.
For the reason that 2024 Texas pageant was formally postponed as an alternative of cancelled, ticket holders weren’t receiving refunds, nor might they petition their bank card firms for refunds. In the meantime, additional traders who got here in attempting to save lots of the 2024 Texas pageant ultimately acquired fleeced, together with some shedding $500,000 and extra by fronting deposits for artists, bands, and gear.
Regardless of Saving Nation Music’s February 2025 exposé and warnings from different reserving companies, a number of artists, bands, and reserving companies determined to maneuver ahead reserving the 2025 Gordy’s HWY 30 Music Pageant in Idaho.
On February nineteenth, a couple of week after SCM’s investigation was printed, Gordy’s HWY 30 posted the next message on social media.
A Message to Our Hwy 30 Household:
Over the previous 12 years, Hwy 30 Music Fest in Idaho has grown into one thing actually particular – a celebration that brings collectively 1000’s of music lovers such as you, creating recollections that final a lifetime. We’re extremely grateful for the group we’ve constructed, and can proceed to construct, collectively.
As a lot of you realize, our enterprise into Texas introduced distinctive challenges that finally led to the tough determination to postpone final yr’s pageant. Whereas Idaho and Texas have at all times operated as separate entities, we stay dedicated to the values which have guided us from the start.
Placing on a music pageant takes numerous hours of planning, coordination, and dedication behind the scenes. Our dedication has at all times been, and can at all times be, to ship an unforgettable expertise that brings individuals collectively by way of the facility of stay music. We’ve secured an unbelievable lineup with 95% of our acts already confirmed – you possibly can take a look at the total roster that has been launched to date at hwy30nation.com/Idaho.
To our loyal followers who’ve been with us by way of all of it: thanks. Your assist means every little thing to us, and we are able to’t wait to welcome you all this summer season.
See you in June!
Gordy Schroeder began Gordy’s HWY 30 Music Pageant in Idaho as a fundraiser in 2014, and it will definitely morphed into an annual multi-day music pageant. It since turned a mainstay within the impartial nation and Southern rock pageant area. By means of his monetary woes, Gordy has claimed well being points with himself and his spouse.
In the meantime, as efforts are underway in Texas for ticketholders and traders trying to recoup their losses from the 2024 Texas pageant, followers in Idaho can be hoping for refunds to the 2025 occasion, whereas representatives for the artists booked on the pageant can be in search of any type of restitution for his or her purchasers.
UPDATE (4/28 – 11:30 am CDT): Ticketholders are receiving emails notifying them of the cancellation, and saying that the need obtain refunds “inside 90 days.”
Extra data on this story when it turns into obtainable.
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