Still no news about the Virgin Mobile Festival
Rumors have been flying for months about where the Virgin Mobile Festival will take place -- if it happens at all.
Organizers said they'd have announcements by April.
No news came.
Then they said they'd release the dates by mid-May.
Here we are almost into June and nothing has been announced yet.
I've gotten numerous e-mails from curious readers, and I keep having to tell them I've got no news for them.
If the festival moves to Merriweather, and it's looking more and more like it will, I predict a much more scaled-back version ...
If I had to wage a gander, I'd put my money on Virgin Mobile Festival being a one-day event this year, probably in late August, with a mainstream rock band as the headliner.
That's just my guess.
But I hope we hear something soon either way. It would be sad to see the Virgin Mobile Festival shrink rather than grow, but it hasn't been the best year ever for festivals.
(Sun archive photo)
Categories: Bars & Clubs, Virgin Mobile Festival
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
I bet it will be AUG 30 at Merriweather with Blink 182 headlining ---which would be super lame when you see other festivals get McCartney, TOOL, Springsteen.
Posted by: O | May 28, 2009 11:13 PM
They should just do it at Pimlico again. I'm sure they would take the money.
Posted by: allen | May 29, 2009 2:06 AM
Of course Pimlico would "take the money"...unfortunately Virgin wouldn't make any money! I've been every year and would love for it to remain at Pimlico, but last year's (lack of)attendance doesn't bode well for the track hosting it again.
Posted by: Dave the wave | May 29, 2009 1:20 PM
Oh yeah, Blink 182 & Weezer are playing on August 30th, but that's not Virgin Fest
Posted by: Dave the wave | May 29, 2009 1:24 PM
I'll go out on the limb and say the festival just isn't happening this year. Branson is losing big money on his airline, revenue is down for VMobile, and the festival hasn't been in the black since it started in '06. I can't see him doing a scaled down version anyway. Branson likes to make a splash with everything he does, and MPost with 2nd tier headliners won't cut it.
O, your right lots of other fesitvals out there this Summer with big names.
Posted by: Sturmy | May 29, 2009 3:58 PM
Plus all the Virgin Megastores are closing down
Posted by: NR | May 29, 2009 4:39 PM
The Vrigin Music festival has nothing to do with Virgin Airlines or Virgin Megastore; it's a licensing agreement.
There is no Virgin fest this year in Baltimore.
Posted by: Mark Twain | May 30, 2009 10:54 AM
Ahh, I should have read your post first. I usually don't dish, but this is public knowledge, so I'll break it down for you...
David Gellar is no longer affiliated in any way, shape or form with IMP, 9:30 Club or Meriwether. So, if he's your contact, direct everything to Seth.
Seth and David had a falling out. David was Seth's right-hand-man for years, but not a partner (despite rumors), just an employee.
Gellar wanted a piece, Seth said no, Gellar moved to Texas and now works for C3, the company that handles Lollapalooza, SxSW, etc.
Gellar was the main force behind the Virgin festivals in Baltimore, in his absence, it doesn't look promising.
There's more to the story, but not for me to share. I'll leave the case-cracking investigatory team at the Sun to fill in the details.
Posted by: Mark Twain | May 31, 2009 5:07 PM