Concert organizers Guerrilla Union acknowledged Thursday that ticket sales for this year's "Rock The Bells" tour simply wasn't providing enough funding to keep the festival afloat, and that the remaining dates, including New York City and Washington D.C., would be cancelled.
Organizers had hoped that this year's event, the tenth anniversary of the landmark hip-hop festival, would draw marquee crowds; not only thanks to hot acts including Kendrick Lamar and members of the A$AP Mob, but also holographic performances from deceased rappers Ol' Dirty Bastard and Eazy-E.
Chang Weisberg, the founder of Rock The Bells, gave a statement on Thursday:
"First and foremost, it is with great sadness and disappointment that we must cancel the Washington D.C. and New York City 'Rock the Bells' dates due to lack of ticket sales," he said. "I, along with our staff, the artists, and all of the sponsors, media partners, local promoters, and radio stations involved are thankful for our supporters and the fans that planned on attending. It's extremely unfortunate that we can't complete the last half of the 10th Anniversary 'Rock the Bells' tour. We did everything in our power to save the show. Unfortunately, the financial loss would have been devastating. This festival has been ten years in the making. I am truly sorry we could not produce the show for all the fans who did buy their ticket in support of."
Weisberg theorized in a later interview that looming tours from Jay Z, Kanye West and others may have inspired fans to save their money. There have been no affirmative statements on whether the cancellation will affect the scheduling of next year's festival.
Although the lineup was appealing, our trusted friend Gerrick Kennedy at the Los Angeles Times indicated that conditions were rather trying, and we're one to trust Mr. Kennedy.
