Desert Daze festival is canceled: ‘This is a tough year’
Desert Daze, the long-running psych-rock and experimental festival set to return to Lake Perris in October, has been called off.
Desert Daze had just announced its lineup, which was to feature Jack White, Cigarettes After Sex and the Mars Volta, a month ago. The festival, founded more than a decade ago as a roadhouse gig that evolved into a major SoCal event drawing tens of thousands, hoped for a splashy comeback after taking a year off in 2023.
Festival founder Phil Pirrone, reached by phone the day before the announcement, said the sudden cancellation was largely due to economic reasons, from high production costs to lower-than-hoped-for ticket sales.
The beloved psych-rock festival Desert Daze took a break in 2023.
“We tried everything to avoid this, but this is a tough year for everybody. That goes from groceries all the way to production costs,” Pirrone said. “I think it goes beyond the music industry. I think just everything is too expensive right now. You know the cost of putting on an event, whether you’re a small festival or a big festival, nobody’s immune to it right now. If you compare the cost of putting on a festival even a few years ago, line by line, you’re just like, wow.”
Despite a compelling lineup of arena-caliber rock, jazz and electronic acts, Pirrone said ticket sales, which started at $299, weren’t enough to make the festival’s costs pencil out.
Steve Ballmer’s $2-billion project is intended to be more than just a home for the Clippers. It also aims to be a slam dunk venue for music fans.
Several other major tours have hit similar snags, including Jennifer Lopez, the Black Keys and the Fugees. Even as splashy new venues such as the Intuit Dome open in L.A., this year’s Coachella did not sell out in advance for the first time in years, and global festivals report similar slowdowns in a crowded, expensive market.
According to Pollstar, in the United States, the top 100 tours saw ticket sales down almost 15% from 2023 (though ticket prices are up 9.4%).
“There’s a lot of competition out there, and growing pains are real,” Pirrone said. “Some festivals are doing well, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to which ones do and which ones don’t. But there’s a certain kind of artist that flourishes [at Desert Daze] and a real cultural significance to this event, and that’s always given me great purpose.”
A bitter dispute over ownership of Pioneertown roadhouse Pappy & Harriet’s has stirred fears among locals about the gentrification of their community.
Big money is pouring into the SoCal desert’s music economy, with the new Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert and free-spending Yaamava’ resort near Highland among them. Yet the last few years have tested Pirrone, a fixture of the high desert music scene and founder of the rock group JJUUJJUU.
Desert Daze’s cancellation comes two years after a heated lawsuit over operations at the beloved Pioneertown venue Pappy & Harriet’s that involved the venue’s new ownership, Pirrone and his festival‘s former co-promotion company, Knitting Factory.
Pirrone affirmed that Desert Daze as a concert brand is not going away, even if its flagship festival is in for some extensive retooling. Refunds for the fest will be available at the point of sale for fans.
“I’m working to figure out what’s next for us. That same spirit is going to be driving it, but it may look different,” Pirrone said. “My heart goes out to the many fine folks who put their heart and soul into this event. So many people have just put all of their love into this thing for 10 or more years. I don’t think it’s just a paycheck for anybody. I really wanted to deliver for all those people, but I’m going to be OK, and we will be back.”
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