Tequila Blues Festival Cancelled Days Before Event at Red Rocks Amid Low Sales
The Tequila Blues Festival was set to take over Denver’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater this coming weekend, but the event has now been postponed to a later date amid lackluster sales.
The event was originally slated to take place on Sunday, April 13 as a community effort spearheaded by Christine Alonzo. However, Red Rocks’ website now reads that the event is cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances.” It has now been postponed to either November or a later date.
Alonzo told Westword that in two months, only 500 tickets were sold. She pointed to “the conflict of interest that’s really being posed here [is] with AEG owning AXS ticketing.”
“The fact that we sold 500 tickets in over two months is really alarming,” Alonzo told the publication. “This looming $125,000 number was hanging over our heads that is owed to AXS and Red Rocks, if the show was to move.”
Alonzo admitted that she fees like the festival was being “set up for failure,” noting that “there’s this big corporation that’s dominating the dates” and “how that process is being done is certainly up for review.”
She told Westword that tickets were initially listed for $165 — to match the market value in similar locations — and then lowered to $99, followed by $79, and even BOGO $50 days before the show. However, even with the discounts, “there was no movement” with sales, which she noted is “very quesitonable to us.”
“I think that we certainly have to regroup,” Alonzo told Westword. “I think we need to figure out how we move forward because as a new minority — a woman-owned business that’s a huge black eye for us. I think we need to reevaluate how we move forward. One key thing that’s going to be really telling is whether or not we get the November date.”
The festival was set to feature performances from Los Lonely Boys, Eric Gales, Rick Lewis Music Project, Harper O’Neil, Levi Platero, and Jack Hadley, with Denver singer and entertainer Erica Brown hosting the event. Refunds will be provided to ticketholders via point of purchase.
