Wait 'Till Next Year? Rothbury Cancels 2010 Festival

I was bummed by the news, but maybe there’s a good reason why Rothbury organizers cancelled this year’s festival.

The only news I have so far comes from the email I received yesterday from Rothbury’s PR saying that the event’s producers Madison House Presents and AEG Live decided to cancel Rothbury 2010 “…due to various artists’ recording and touring schedules, timing will not allow them to assemble the cutting edge roster that has been associated with ROTHBURY.”

Madison House Presents’ Jeremy Stein further explained things saying, “The result for this year is that we are not able to move forward with the integrity and high standards that we demand from ourselves and for the festival. This event is something very special, and we are unwilling to potentially tarnish what ROTHBURY is, and can become, by working under conditions that will produce anything less than a magical experience. Our efforts are certainly not coming to an end.”



But Rothbury isn’t ending for good.

Organizers plan to have ROTHBURY live on in 2011. And as the Muskegon Chronicle reports, the local Michigan community announced plans just 24 hours later after the cancellation annoucement to have a “Rothbury Homegrown” festival.

Was It A Complete Surprise?

Whatever Rothbury’s fate may be, Colleen and I have had a lot of fun covering Rothbury the last two years. 

But to be honest it’s not a complete surprise that Rothbury isn’t happening in 2010.

After last year, I kind of felt something like this was coming. 

Looking back at Rothbury 2009, I remember how difficult it was to pull things together with the land leasing issue surrounding the Double JJ Ranch and the temporary lease aggrement with AEG Live. 

And though I had some of my favorite concert moments at Rothbury, from a line-up standpoint, the bill last year wasn’t as strong as it was for Rothbury 2008. 

So maybe that’s what Stein is alluding to. And maybe they are better off not having Rothbury this year so they can work on securing the best line-up possible for 2011. 

Well, this is the first news of a major festival not happening in 2010, so I wonder if any others will face the same fate? Are we going to see the summer music festival bubble continue to pop as the year unfolds?

Until 2011: A Rothbury Recap Tribute

Since Rothbury fans won’t be getting their fix this year, I’d like to offer this quick tribute. I’ve had fun covering Rothbury from all angles beyond the music, so I’d to share with you a few Live Fix posts that captured the best of our Rothbury experiences from the last two years.

Live Preview: The Road To Rothbury 2009

Rothbury Wrap Up Part One: Emotional Recall

Rothbury Wrap Up Part Two:  Sensual Collison with the Michigan State Police

Rothbury Wrap Up Part Three: The Green Team

Final Live Events review on Ink19

What are your favorite Rothbury memories and experiences?

Do you plan to go to a different festival this summer in replace of Rothbury?