By Zach Collier
Things surrounding Goosenecks Music Festival started getting sketchy the last few weeks. After the timeframe for buying tickets at Tier 1 pricing officially closed, tickets at Tier 2 pricing never became available. Hopeful Goosenecks patrons took to the Facebook event page, asking for help.
After going completely dark for about a week on social media, Max Metcalf and Thomas Clawson, founders of Goosenecks Music Festival, posted the following statement:
Fans of Goosenecks,
We’re writing you today letting you know that Goosenecks has been canceled. We just could not sell enough tickets to make all of our payments to bands and were forced to cancel the show. You have meant so much to us. Some of you are music fans who were excited to hear a lineup of your favorite bands and artists. Many of you were outdoor enthusiasts who love exploring, adventuring, and discovering new places. Some are friends who wanted to see the show succeed. Regardless, we were all so excited for the chance to listen to amazing music near the red cliffs of Capitol Reef National Park. We want to thank you for catching the vision of something that could have been amazing. We encourage you all to “escape, explore, and discover” which has been our motto from the beginning. We hope that this summer you will find time to visit Torrey and Capitol Reef National Park. The people who live there are amazing and wanted the show to happen just like all of us. You will be receiving a refund for your ticket(s) within the next few days. In February this was all just an idea. It would have never even gotten off the ground without your help, so thank you for helping build something, even if we never get to see it finished.
Sincerely,
Max Metcalf and Thomas Clawson
Founders, Goosenecks Music Festival
This is unfortunate, to say the least. Goosenecks Music Festival was looking to be one of the biggest events of the summer: a potential rival to the local Timpanogos Music Festival and an opportunity for Provo bands to get out of the valley and play for an audience from a different part of the state. Large acts like Purity Ring, Jukebox the Ghost, The National Parks, The Aces, and Cinders were already on the bill. Despite a sleek advertising campaign, an early surge in ticket sales, and initial optimism at the success of the project, it appears the Goosenecks team must have hit some unforeseen financial roadblocks.
Despite this heartbreaking news, we would like to thank Metcalf and Clawson for taking a risk and believing in both Utah and its musicians. Entrepreneurial ventures are always fraught with danger. For every billionaire success story, you have millions of businessmen who assume a high amount of risk for very little reward. On behalf of Reach Provo, we thank you and wish you the best of luck on future ventures.
Provo Music Magazine 