This past weekend’s River City Music Festival saw two of its three headliners pull out of the festival at the last minute. Set for Saturday, June 18th, the Nebraska festival saw George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic and Keller Williams drop out at the last minute, while third headliner Matisyahu did actually perform.
As reported by Brooklyn Vegan and local news network WOWT, the festival did at some point post an apology on its Facebook page, only to fully delete their website and social media presence in the wake of extreme anger shown by several disappointed fans.
While the festival promoters seem to be hiding, Keller Williams, however, did release a statement on his Facebook page that pulls back the curtain on some of the reasons why this festival had so many problems, and the difficult decisions that artists face when put in tough situations like what he experienced at River City. He talks about how he “love[s] to play festivals” and how he is “grateful to get to play so many,” yet that “with this particular festival, my team and I had to follow our guts and pay attention to the red flags that the producers started to raise.”
Read the full statement from Williams, below:
I’m truly sorry for canceling the Nebraska festival. I feel like shit and that’s a feeling that I’m not used to feeling. I love to play festivals. I’m so grateful to get the opportunity to play so many. Over the years, my team and I have finally learned to follow our guts. The first couple bad checks we received, we got mad. Lawyers were hired and more money was spent and it ended in a head shaking lesson learned. Who wants to admit that they don’t have the money to pay you? Not me. I admire all promoters and festival producers because they take a HUGE risk for all of our good times. Also because I could never do it. Where would my world be without them? Probably in a van down by the river.
So with this particular festival, my team and I had to follow our guts and pay attention to the red flags that the producers started to raise. To all the folks I inconvenienced with this decision, I’m truly sorry and hope I can make it up to you,personally…..some how. Kw.