I had already started planning my trip out to Rothbury, MI for the third annual Rothbury Music Festival which many thought would take place over the July 4th weekend. Sadly, the news just came down through the fest’s website that there won’t be a Rothbury 2010.
Part of the problem stems from the community which has been trying to pass an ordinance to regulate activities at the festival grounds. According to the Muskegon Chronicle, “the proposed ordinance is in response to the negative reaction township residents had with the massive festival operation and thousands of festival-goers. The biggest complaint seemed to be excessive noise into the wee hours as ROTHBURY festival-goers enjoyed musical acts beyond 2 a.m.”
The festival’s website gives a detailed statement on the cancellation:
During the past three years, all of us involved with ROTHBURY have greatly appreciated the tremendous outpouring of support for the future of the festival. For 2010, we have had to make the tough decision to postpone our efforts. A contributing factor in our decision is that, due to various artists’ recording and touring schedules, we now believe that timing will not allow for us to assemble the cutting edge roster that everyone has come to expect from ROTHBURY. The result for this year is that we are not able to move forward with the integrity and high standards that we demand from ourselves and for the festival.
Despite the 2010 postponement, we intend to move toward continuing ROTHBURY in 2011. This event is something very special, and we are unwilling to potentially tarnish what ROTHBURY is, and can become, by working under conditions that will produce anything less than a magical experience.
ROTHBURY is more than a festival. It is a mission intended to discover strength in community, and what it means to be a large-scale sustainable event in these times. Our efforts are certainly not coming to an end.
It is important for us to thank the people of Michigan, Oceana County, The Village of Rothbury, Grant Township, and the Double JJ Resort. Also, we thank our team members, volunteers, creative contributors, media partners, and sponsors. We have made many friendships that will last a lifetime.
To all who attended the first two years of ROTHBURY we thank you for the soul you gave the event. Those times entered rarified air because of your energy.
We hope you have a fantastic July 4th this summer.
The first Rothbury Festival was put together by AEG and Madison House Presents and featured the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer and Widespread Panic in the headliner slots. Last year’s festival saw headlining sets from Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and The Dead. We’d expect that the producers of High Sierra Music Festival, a competing festival that owned the Fourth of July weekend for a long time before 2008, aren’t shedding any tears.
- Previously on HT: Vegoose Cooked, Langerado Falls Victim to the Economy, Review – A Look at Rothbury 2009
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