All Points West Giving Up After 2 Years?

APW 2008, by John Del Signore/Gothamist

The summer music festivals are already being lined up (even September's ATP Festival has been announced), but in all the buzz there's a name missing: All Points West. The NY Times looks at the 3-day festival, which for the past two years has taken place at New Jersey's Liberty State Park—saying it may not return.

According to executives at AEG Live, the promoter, they have yet to decide on a third year, saying, “There is no question that our biggest challenge is finding suitable headliners, and it has been more challenging this year than in the past. No final determination of any kind has been made for 2010.” Another in-the-know exec touched upon the fan reaction, saying, “I don’t know how great an experience it was for the fans. If we’re going to do that show again, we want to be able to make it great and have it be something that people respect.”

It seems bookers are whispering behind their backs, too. A few talked to the Times anonymously, not wanting to jeopardize their business relationship with the promoter, saying nothing has been booked and it would be nearly impossible for APW to happen at this point, without a headliner.

In previous years the APW stage has seen Radiohead, Jay-Z, Coldplay, and one too many headlining sets by Jack Johnson. Oh well, there's always Bamboozle.

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on February 24, 2010 2:26 PM

Comments [rss]

JMH

The same company has already booked, for Coachella, Jay-Z, Them Crooked Vultures, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Muse, The Dead Weather, Phoenix, Pavement, Spoon, and Sly and the Family Stone (among a LONG list of other bands). So why can't they book headliner-caliber acts for APW too?

unretrofiedforu

Uh, you got the money to pay those bands twice? Thrice? Four-times?

Including all transportation costs and the each band's inevitable riders?

Alex

I had a great time seeing radiohead (and a bunch of other cool acts) the first year. They probably won't have it this year and just blame the poor economy.

babyhitler

except for the shitty ferry, beer thingy, and the rain of last year everything else was top notch. too bad.

Angelheaded Hipster

only radiohead would ever get me out there again

amsci

Is that balloon sculpture/costume thing ejaculating?

nicemarmot

It's spooge-tastic.

jles

Can't say this surprises me. I went the first year and vowed never to return. You can't have an all day festival in NYC and not allow people to come and go, and you can't have a beer garden that completely restricts the view of the stage (they may have fixed that the 2nd year).

Whatever, they'll find somebody else to do this better.