In my 24 years as a promoter, I have never come close to experiencing the challenges of this year. Honestly, if this type of year would have happened previously, the festival would have already been retired. I know I have your sympathy, but the stress has reached levels that have begun to physically affect me. The absolutely most frustrating part is that every single instance this year has been beyond my control. There was nothing I could do about it. In fact, I took every step to either prevent it or resolve it and gained zero traction as I have successfully in the past. Make no mistake, I'm just as pissed as you are about things this year. Honestly, even more than you.
Vanden Plas had all of their visas preliminarily approved by the USCIS. They scheduled their consul interviews immediately after they were approved to obtain the physical visas. There were no issues as they have received visas in the past as normal. Through a totally random series of events at the German consul, one interview could not take place as scheduled. We explored all avenues of expediting the interview date so the visa could be obtained prior to the festival. We were told student visa application backlog was causing severe delays. I went so far as to hire a lawyer in the UK that specializes in assisting with visas and consul interviews with over 10 years experience. Regardless of the efforts and additional money I spent, there was still no guarantee of success. With all of the obstacles in place, the band felt they had no choice but to cancel now rather than leave me in an even more difficult position. They are absolutely crushed by the entire situation. I will announce the replacement within 48 hrs. There is no need for band replacement submissions as I started work on it this past weekend.
I have one more festival to say goodbye. I refuse to go out on bended knee. All sorts of potential visa scenarios have been taken into account and discussed with all bands before they were confirmed for next year. You have stood by me for over two decades and trusted me to provide you with a first class experience. I hope you will do the same next year as I close out my legacy.
