Hank Williams Jr. Cancels Peckfest Appearance, Side Stage Cancelled

Hank Williams Jr. was scheduled to be one of the headliners at this weekend’s Peckfest at the Kanawha River Campground in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, but has cancelled after the promoters could not fulfill their financial obligations. Subsequently, the talent on a side stage meant to highlight local and up-and-coming bands was also cancelled last minute, leaving multiple acts in the lurch.

Hank Jr. was scheduled to be the Saturday night (7-6) headliner of Peckfest, but said in a statement on July 3rd, “We regret to inform you that Hank Williams Jr will not be at the July 6th date in Point Pleasant, WV (Peck Fest 2019) due to contractual obligations not being met by the promoter of the concert. We regret having to cancel and are sorry for any inconvenience. Please contact the promoter for any further information and his refund policy.”

Peckfest said in a statement Friday afternoon, “We are working to build processes to handle ticket refunds as this is something we have never had to do before. If you wish to start the process before we have one in place you can reach out to your credit card issuer and request a refund. If you purchased your ticket through a third party you can reach out to them as well. We will alert you updates as they become available.”

Peckfest also offered ticketholders the ability to exchange their Saturday only tickets for Friday admittance if they chose.

Friday night headliners Brett Michaels and Buckcherry performed without a hitch at the festival, and posts on social media showed people enjoying themselves. But numerous bands scheduled to play on the festival’s “Rising Star Stage” both Friday and Saturday were told they could no longer perform. Goldtown, Ultra Sound, Metheney, and the Audio Outlaws were all scheduled to play on Friday, and Adam Parker Band, Corey Hager, Joanna Young, Dillon Jarrell were all scheduled to play on Saturday.

“Due to lack of response time and communication with the promoter of Peckfest we were force to cancel our show tomorrow,” said the Adam Parker Band Friday afternoon on Facebook. “Sorry to anyone who planned to come see us and stay turned for upcoming shows in the future.”

“Well, for those coming to see US at Peckfest, we got cancelled!!!” Ultra Sound posted. “Something about no second stage. The freaking saga continues …. lessons learned!! We greatly apologize to any of our fans making the trip.”

Performers Kris Armstrong, Adam Calvert, and Shana Smith were still scheduled to perform Saturday night, with CJ Solar headlining.

Peckfest was created in 2015 by Point Pleasant, West Virginia native Garry Peck, who wanted to create an outdoor music festival unlike anything else in the area. “Garry and his team have worked so hard to create an event that benefits the entire community,” a statement said in part after the Hank Williams Jr. cancellation, as the festival was trying to readjust the lineup. In February, Garry Peck was sued in Mason County, West Virginia for over $700,000 by multiple individuals and companies for breach of contract for failing to pay contractors for labor and services received. It is unclear if the lawsuit is related directly to Peckfest.

The issues with Peckfest underscore the difficulties many local and regional independent promoters are facing amid rising talent and overhead costs, increased competition, and the encroachment of large promoters such as LiveNation into the local festival space.

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