Blue Ridge Rock Festival Explains Silence on 2023 Partial Cancellation in New Statement

After nearly four months of silence, the Blue Ridge Rock Festival has issued a new statement addressing the “partial cancellation” of its 2023 installment. The festival, originally slated for September 7-10 in Alton, Virginia, faced challenges during its opening night with a sudden evacuation due to a severe storm. Despite the storm-free second day, various issues persisted, prompting Electric Callboy tour manager Ian Roberts to share a detailed video on his YouTube Channel, Tank the Tech. Roberts highlighted issues such as nonexistent catering, a lack of water and air conditioning in the band’s dressing room, and a general lack of communication among festival staff.

By the third day (September 9), organizers announced the cancellation of the remainder of the day and the entire following day due to weather reports, making the festival a prominent topic in the rock and metal community. However, the organizers provided only vague statements in response to the events. Now, nearly four months later, they have released a new statement explaining the delay in providing details.

Expressing regret for the lack of communication, the organizers stated on social media, “We are extremely sorry for the delay in providing a clear resolution for 2023’s partial cancellation.” They explained that their insurance policy prevents them from discussing the details until their claim is settled, expected during the first quarter of 2024 or shortly after.

The post emphasized the challenges faced during the unforeseen storms, which posed significant danger to fans, crews, bands, and the event itself. The organizers expressed eagerness to provide full transparency once the claim is settled, refraining from jeopardizing the recovery of the policy or prejudicing rights.

Despite the frustrations expressed by fans, the organizers acknowledged the complexity of the situation and assured a comprehensive address once they are free to do so. Over 150 artists were originally scheduled for the 2023 Blue Ridge Rock Festival, making it one of the largest rock and metal festivals in the U.S. The organizers urged fans to stay tuned for a full statement in the coming months, which may include information on any changes to the event for 2024.

We are extremely sorry for the delay in providing a clear resolution for 2023's partial cancellation. We know that frustrations are continuing to compound, and fans deserve more communication and information from us. It has pained us immensely that we have not been permitted to do so thus far. For the first time, we have recently been given permission to issue this more complete statement. Our event had the benefit of festival interruption and abandonment insurance. Receiving coverage for a claim of this magnitude takes a considerable amount of time. The firms representing the Festival expect a response to the claim in the first quarter of 2024 or shortly thereafter. After the response from the insurance companies, we will update all of you and begin the process of providing complete resolutions for everyone. Our insurance policy has language restricting our public pronouncements until the claim is settled. This is the reason we have largely been silent. It has been incredibly difficult to not publicize evidence to refute many of the reports surrounding the Festival. However, we are unwilling to jeopardize the recovery of the policy for you the fans, prejudice our rights, or prejudice the insurance carriers’ rights. We eagerly await the moment when we can provide full transparency. The unanticipated, sudden, and extraordinary storms, which put fans, crews, bands, and the event in grave danger were incredibly unfortunate. The damage caused by these storms has yet to be fully revealed. Despite the time this process has taken, we have not stopped working diligently on your behalf. The moment we have the authority, we will address everything in full. This has been brutal for all of us. We continue to work tirelessly to ensure a timely resolution and have taken every step possible on our end to shorten the process. We fully understand the animosity that many of you have towards this situation. There is so much more to this story than what has come to light. A special thank you to those of you who have continued to support us during these hard times. Your patience and grace has been a testament to the passionate community that surrounds this event and built it to the largest on the continent. It goes without saying that we would be nothing without each of you.

The Blue Ridge Festival Team Tweet