Glenn, is/was there any chance that an appeal to your U.S. Representative, and the Rep. for the district that includes the venue, might have helped? This is the sort of situation that Congressional staffers and liaisons can sometimes help with, and there's a financial stake in it for the Atlanta rep since the festival takes place in their district.....
Bummed about the news, especially about Matos. Kudos on the swift replacement process, and it'll be great to see the MindFlow guys again.
Side note: they talk to BIRDS.