eireboy34 said:

RodeoSchro said:

That's not a stupid question at all. I used to think the same thing.

I volunteer for an organization that books 20 of the biggest names on country and rock each year. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit, and our excess funds are given away as four-year college scholarships (we're over $250 million given away so far). There is no "profit" whatsoever; in fact, we have over 20,000 volunteers that give their time and talents to this. So we're as far away from a typical concert promoter as you can get.

I asked the president one time if the entertainers gave us a break because of that. He kind of laughed and said, "You would think so, but it's actually just the opposite. However, it isn't the entertainers, it's the management companies. There are only a few that handle the vast majority of acts, and they all know we have to book 20 acts over 20 days, and that our calendar is inflexible. So they try to hold us over a barrel as long as they can, so they can get the highest price for their client".

I don't hold that against the entertainer, or the management company. The company is just doing their job. And trust me - fame is fleeting. We've booked many, many acts that were on fire one year, and then weren't heard of since. So I can understand their mindset being, "I'd better get all I can today, because I might not be popular tomorrow".

Some entertainers have given back to us. Although no one that I know has played for free, people like Hank Williams, Jr., and Jon Bon Jovi have donated back part of their fees to the scholarship fund.

As for Prince, I think SCDLS is right. This concert was NOT thrown by a charity - the charity was supposed to be a beneficiary. For all we know, Prince said, "Look - if you pay me, there's no way you can give a dime to the charity. Heck, you can't pay me hardly at all. So here's the deal. I will cancel, and you will write a check of $XXX to the charity out of your pocket, and you will refund the ticket prices to the customers. This is the cheapest way out of this fiasco for you, and I make sure the charity gets something out of the deal. I'll get bad publicity, and I'm out what it cost to get my band and equipment here, but I can deal with that."

I admire your naivety

Whatever you say, I am sure you are 100% correct.

This sucks! So glad I didn't try to come to Dallas for this show....I think the weather was the main killer here. No one knows for sure if Prince even made it. They could have just said he was in town just to get folks to buy the tickets hoping he would make it, but then they cancelled his flight at the last minute, that happens. They cancelled mine for the W2A shows 45mins after it was supposed to take off! Trust me, it happens.

And if it does have to do with money, then Prince or Erika couldn't get paid, so not their faults the even folks couldn't get the money. I don't think Prince was ever in town though, with this weather and him having a sold out show on Monday, I don't think he'd risk not being in NY for that show with the horrible weather the way it is and the chances of him getting stuck in Dallas..Until I see pics, I'm not buying Prince is in TX.

RodeoSchro said:

eireboy34 said:

I admire your naivety

Whatever you say, I am sure you are 100% correct.

Thanks. Have a nice day.

eireboy34 said:

RodeoSchro said:

Whatever you say, I am sure you are 100% correct.

Thanks. Have a nice day.

Thanks, you too.

RodeoSchro said:

eireboy34 said:

I admire your naivety

Whatever you say, I am sure you are 100% correct.

And I am 100% sure he's an idiot. Correct!

eireboy34 said:

amerozzie said:

I am telling u he is and was in town.......just head west from Dallas . I knew all along he was going to cancel. He was very upset at sells , it wasn't his fault . You notice their not coming out bashing Prince for canceling .,No....a deal was made and they couldn't come up with the money.....Peace...3121....Prince O ?

How is this not Prince's fault?

His recent music is mainly crap.

He does no or little promotion...apart from us sad folk on here, most people don' know or don't really care about Prince concerts.

He is so unreliable and cancels so easily that many people don't want to take the risk.

Ticket prices too high in this day and age.

Not Prince's fault??!

Get offa cloud 9!

Do you know the exact details behind what transpired that the concert had to be cancelled? If ticket sales are not going the way the promoter and artist expect, and they're not making money from it to cover expected expenses, then sometimes it's best to just cancel. That's not difficult to comprehend. Being bitter over it doesn't solve a thing. Life goes on, and if you don't like an artist's music, then move on. Dedicating so much time bashing any artist won't solve a damn thing, especially if you're dong that 24/7 like a jilted lover that couldn't put out anyway, while your own life passes you by. Just something for you to think about.

[Edited 2/5/11 8:29am]

OnlyNDaUsa said:

Ok I am Going to call it. Prince will cOme back to Dallas for several shows to make up for this. And was his equipment here? At one point it was said to have been stuck?

And I'll ask again: To make up for what???

He upheld his part of the bargain: He showed up during an ice/snow storm no less to play as agreed. The organizer, however, did NOT uphold their end of the bargain to pay him his fee. Anyone who is seriously blaming P for somebody ELSE not having HIS money is deluded or just trynna blame everything on P for no reason. This event was a FOR PROFIT venture that was going to give a PORTION to a charity. As such, there's NO reason to expect P to work for free after everyone involved knew/agreed that he was getting PAID for his performance.

And what about Erykah? She bounced too when they ain't have her check. Why come ain't nobody mentioning her? Ya'll ain't asking HER to play for free.

But whatever, I'll see ya in Cali Princey!

2elijah said:

eireboy34 said:

How is this not Prince's fault?

His recent music is mainly crap.

He does no or little promotion...apart from us sad folk on here, most people don' know or don't really care about Prince concerts.

He is so unreliable and cancels so easily that many people don't want to take the risk.

Ticket prices too high in this day and age.

Not Prince's fault??!

Get offa cloud 9!

Do you know the exact details behind what transpired that the concert had to be cancelled? If ticket sales are not going the way the promoter and artist expect, and they're not making money from it to cover expected expenses, then sometimes it's best to just cancel. That's not difficult to comprehend. Being bitter over it doesn't solve a thing. Life goes on, and if you don't like an artist's music, then move on. Dedicating so much time bashing any artist won't solve a damn thing, especially if you're dong that 24/7 like a jilted lover that couldn't put out anyway, while your own life passes you by. Just something for you to think about.

Thanks for that.

Have a nice day.

[Edited 2/5/11 8:20am]

eireboy34 said:

2elijah said:

Do you know the exact details behind what transpired that the concert had to be cancelled? If ticket sales are not going the way the promoter and artist expect, and they're not making money from it to cover expected expenses, then sometimes it's best to just cancel. That's not difficult to comprehend. Being bitter over it doesn't solve a thing. Life goes on, and if you don't like an artist's music, then move on. Dedicating so much time bashing any artist won't solve a damn thing, especially if you're dong that 24/7 like a jilted lover that couldn't put out anyway, while your own life passes you by. Just something for you to think about.

Thanks for that.

Have a nice day.

[Edited 2/5/11 8:20am]

You're welcome darling...

2elijah said:

eireboy34 said:

Thanks for that.

Have a nice day.

[Edited 2/5/11 8:20am]

You're welcome darling...

Ya'll too nice to these nuts.

2elijah said:

SCNDLS said:

Don't play with me, missy, Prince in town and I ain't looking at him, I ain't in the mood!

Well...you could always jump in your car and go looking for him... Right now he might have half of Dallas doing just that, after what happened tonight, which of course was not his fault. It was more than likely a business deal gone bad.

Imagine the stories the guys in charge of the event must have been trying to come up with, to tell Prince they didn't have his money. They were probably embarassed to tell him they didn't have all that was agreed upon. What if it went down like this:

Event Guy #1: "Okay, when Godfather Prince pulls up in his limo, remain calm, and whatever you do...do not look into his eyes!"

Event Guy #2: "Okay, Boss, I'll try."

Godfather Prince pulls up in his stretch limo. The window slowly rolls down, Godfather Prince gestures with his right index finger for the Event Guys to approach his limo, and the Event Guys proceed towards the vehicle:

Event Guy #1 and #2: "Hello Mr. Prince" (Event Guys extend their hands towards Godfather Prince for a handshake, but Godfather Prince just gives them....the look. The Event guys start to shudder.

Godfather Prince: "You got my money?"

Event Guys #1 and #2: "Uh... Mr. P, there seems to have been a problem with the money we agreed to pay you..." (Godfather Prince interrupts)

Godfather Prince: "What? What?? Naaahhhh...that's not how it's going down. I don't play that, because we had an agreement. .So what's it gonna be?

Event Guys #1 and 2 stand in silence and shock, careful not to look Godfather Prince in the eyes ...::crickets chirping::

Godfather Prince: "Oh, so it's like that huh?? If you don't have my money, right here, right now, then this is how it's gonna be...forget you!!!"

Godfather Prince to the Limo Driver: "Pookie, let's go!" Pookie pulls off with Godfather Prince in the limo........Sccccreeeeecccch

Godfather Prince has left the scene...but you could catch his performance at Madison Square Gardens in NYC on Monday, 2/7/11 @ 7:30pm......tickets on sale at www.ticketmaster.com

[Edited 2/4/11 22:34pm]

You's a MESS! But prolly quite accurate.

SCNDLS said:

2elijah said:

You're welcome darling...

Ya'll too nice to these nuts.

Agreed

eireboy34 said:

SCNDLS said:

Ya'll too nice to these nuts.

Agreed

YOU should.

SCNDLS said:

eireboy34 said:

Agreed

YOU should.

I do

From Bossip

Dear Janky Promoters, This isn’t a club night that’s being hosted by some C-list rapper, this is PRINCE cotdammit!

Brutal weather in Dallas battered the Super Bowl festivities, but the biggest fiasco was the Prince concert scheduled for last night and canceled at the last minute.

The superstar was due to perform at the Hotel Intercontinental along with Erykah Badu and others, with tickets selling for $1,500 each. But organizers called it off just an hour before it was to start, climaxing a flurry of conflicting statements about the show being canceled, resurrected and canceled again.

“We are extremely disappointed that the organizers, the Meridian Entertainment Group and the River Alexander Group . . . were unable to bring Prince and his band to Dallas on Feb. 4,” said Prince’s manager, Kiran Sharma, in a statement last night.

“Our understanding is that they lost their investors and were not able to adequately fund and produce the event. Prince was looking forward to performing in support of the Goss-Michael Foundation.”

According to sources, the problem started when the River group didn’t cover Prince or his band’s travel costs or the rental of concert equipment. “They kept saying they’d cover the costs after they had the money from ticket sales, but they never could come up with the cash,” said one source.

The foundation, which benefits art education, put out a press release yesterday afternoon saying the concert was canceled, and blamed River Alexander Group for being “unable to fund and produce the evening.” A few minutes later, the charity reversed itself, saying, “Circumstances have changed and the event featuring Prince WILL take place . . . Prince has arrived in Dallas and will perform this evening.” But at 6:30 last night, a fed-up Prince personally canceled.

Get your sh*t together people, show the man some respect and have your business in order when you’re dealing with artists of this caliber.

[Edited 2/5/11 8:49am]

SCNDLS said:

2elijah said:

You're welcome darling...

Ya'll too nice to these nuts.

I can understand concert goers being upset when they paid money to to travel and see their favorite artist perform, and unfortunately business dealings didn't go the way the artist/promoters expected and it gets cancelled, for many reasons, then the customer has to deal with trying to get airline/hotel and refunds on purchased tix. It's a hard thing to get over sometimes, but what's 24 hour bashing going to do other than cause high blood pressured premature wrinkles?

Most artiists whose shows get cancelled will move on, continue performing and getting paid. If ticket sales are low, then whose going to pay the band, the hotel/travel expenses/shipment of equipment, etc? Remember one IZOD show was cancelled but another show was added elsewhere and those who purchased tix to the cancelled IZOD show were able to trade those for the other location. More than likely maybe something will be worked out and he'll perform elsewhere in Dallas. The weekend is not over, and there's always possibilities. It is Superbowl weekend, so you just never know if he may do a show at one of the pre or post-Superbowl events.

SCNDLS said:

From Bossip

Dear Janky Promoters, This isn’t a club night that’s being hosted by some C-list rapper, this is PRINCE cotdammit!

Brutal weather in Dallas battered the Super Bowl festivities, but the biggest fiasco was the Prince concert scheduled for last night and canceled at the last minute.

The superstar was due to perform at the Hotel Intercontinental along with Erykah Badu and others, with tickets selling for $1,500 each. But organizers called it off just an hour before it was to start, climaxing a flurry of conflicting statements about the show being canceled, resurrected and canceled again.

“We are extremely disappointed that the organizers, the Meridian Entertainment Group and the River Alexander Group . . . were unable to bring Prince and his band to Dallas on Feb. 4,” said Prince’s manager, Kiran Sharma, in a statement last night.

“Our understanding is that they lost their investors and were not able to adequately fund and produce the event. Prince was looking forward to performing in support of the Goss-Michael Foundation.”

According to sources, the problem started when the River group didn’t cover Prince or his band’s travel costs or the rental of concert equipment. “They kept saying they’d cover the costs after they had the money from ticket sales, but they never could come up with the cash,” said one source.

The foundation, which benefits art education, put out a press release yesterday afternoon saying the concert was canceled, and blamed River Alexander Group for being “unable to fund and produce the evening.” A few minutes later, the charity reversed itself, saying, “Circumstances have changed and the event featuring Prince WILL take place . . . Prince has arrived in Dallas and will perform this evening.” But at 6:30 last night, a fed-up Prince personally canceled.

Get your sh*t together people, show the man some respect and have your business in order when you’re dealing with artists of this caliber.

[Edited 2/5/11 8:49am]

You were right Scndls, of course the artist would be the one to get the blame because people don't take time to find out the facts behind what caused the cancellation. According to that article, it seems The River Goup should have just cancelled it altogether, a couple of days before the event, because they had to know at least 2 days prior, how ticket sales were going. It could have saved everyone travel time, as well as the customers who paid for the event.

2elijah said:

SCNDLS said:

Ya'll too nice to these nuts.

I can understand concert goers being upset when they paid money to to travel and see their favorite artist perform, and unfortunately business dealings didn't go the way the artist/promoters expected and it gets cancelled, for many reasons, then the customer has to deal with trying to get airline/hotel and refunds on purchased tix. It's a hard thing to get over sometimes, but what's 24 hour bashing going to do other than cause high blood pressured premature wrinkles?

Most artiists whose shows get cancelled will move on, continue performing and getting paid. If ticket sales are low, then whose going to pay the band, the hotel/travel expenses/shipment of equipment, etc? Remember one IZOD show was cancelled but another show was added elsewhere and those who purchased tix to the cancelled IZOD show were able to trade those for the other location. More than likely maybe something will be worked out and he'll perform elsewhere in Dallas. The weekend is not over, and there's always possibilities. It is Superbowl weekend, so you just never know if he may do a show at one of the pre or post-Superbowl events.

What kills me is these Negatvie Nellie's who didn't even have tickets to the show or lose anything as a result of the cancellation but they break their necks to jump on a thread AFTER the fact to sling shit at Prince, just because.

2elijah said:

SCNDLS said:

From Bossip

Dear Janky Promoters, This isn’t a club night that’s being hosted by some C-list rapper, this is PRINCE cotdammit!

Get your sh*t together people, show the man some respect and have your business in order when you’re dealing with artists of this caliber.

[Edited 2/5/11 8:49am]

You were right Scndls, of course the artist would be the one to get the blame because people don't take time to find out the facts behind what caused the cancellation. According to that article, it seems The River Goup should have just cancelled it altogether, a couple of days before the event, because they had to know at least 2 days prior, how ticket sales were going. It could have saved everyone travel time, as well as the customers who paid for the event.

And I've been hearing for WEEKS that the show was not selling, as I mentioned on Page 1 of this thread. It was no secret among event planners that the show was in trouble from the get go. Just the fact that they waited so late to announce the show, late December IIRC, was a bad sign. They coulda been promoting this event and selling tix for it over the past year and they woulda been fine. Everything seemed thrown together.

SCNDLS said:

2elijah said:

I can understand concert goers being upset when they paid money to to travel and see their favorite artist perform, and unfortunately business dealings didn't go the way the artist/promoters expected and it gets cancelled, for many reasons, then the customer has to deal with trying to get airline/hotel and refunds on purchased tix. It's a hard thing to get over sometimes, but what's 24 hour bashing going to do other than cause high blood pressured premature wrinkles?

Most artiists whose shows get cancelled will move on, continue performing and getting paid. If ticket sales are low, then whose going to pay the band, the hotel/travel expenses/shipment of equipment, etc? Remember one IZOD show was cancelled but another show was added elsewhere and those who purchased tix to the cancelled IZOD show were able to trade those for the other location. More than likely maybe something will be worked out and he'll perform elsewhere in Dallas. The weekend is not over, and there's always possibilities. It is Superbowl weekend, so you just never know if he may do a show at one of the pre or post-Superbowl events.

What kills me is these Negatvie Nellie's who didn't even have tickets to the show or lose anything as a result of the cancellation but they break their necks to jump on a thread AFTER the fact to sling shit at Prince, just because.

What's a "negatvie" Nellie????

2elijah said:

SCNDLS said:

From Bossip

Dear Janky Promoters, This isn’t a club night that’s being hosted by some C-list rapper, this is PRINCE cotdammit!

Get your sh*t together people, show the man some respect and have your business in order when you’re dealing with artists of this caliber.

[Edited 2/5/11 8:49am]

You were right Scndls, of course the artist would be the one to get the blame because people don't take time to find out the facts behind what caused the cancellation. According to that article, it seems The River Goup should have just cancelled it altogether, a couple of days before the event, because they had to know at least 2 days prior, how ticket sales were going. It could have saved everyone travel time, as well as the customers who paid for the event.

It was completely irresponsible of the organizers to continue to mislead people right up until the event happened. If they had announced a couple of days ago that the show was being cancelled due to the weather, and refunded the tickets then, I doubt there would have been a huge blowback. After all, school districts and universities have been closed in DFW all week. Instead, they held out hope that they would be able to sell some last minute tickets OR that Prince would agree to perform for free.

I agree that people have been too harsh on Prince, and I say that as someone who actually had tickets to the concert. However, it's worth pointing out that he did agree to this high-dollar shindig in the first place. He couldn't have predicted the huge storm that we got, but someone should have been suspicious about how the whole thing was being put together.

Another story, this one focusing on the scholarship recipients who apparently flew in at their own expense:

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/02/so_prince_was_a_no-show_after.php

Interesting that the comments to these stories are starting to blame the organizers rather than Prince.

eireboy34 said:

SCNDLS said:

What kills me is these Negatvie Nellie's who didn't even have tickets to the show or lose anything as a result of the cancellation but they break their necks to jump on a thread AFTER the fact to sling shit at Prince, just because.

What's a "negatvie" Nellie????

Someone who chooses to focus on a typo on a public forum rather than the content of the message.

electricberet said:

Another story, this one focusing on the scholarship recipients who apparently flew in at their own expense:

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/02/so_prince_was_a_no-show_after.php

Interesting that the comments to these stories are starting to blame the organizers rather than Prince.

So, Prince Was a No-Show After All. Not Like Anyone Told the Opening Acts Or Anything.

Earlier today, that Prince concert was called off, with the Goss-Michael Foundation blaming the organizer. Then, an hour later, it was back on.

But speaking of T.J., a former classmate just called from the Hotel InterContinental with the breaking news that Prince didn't show after all. No explanation given. No word about refunds. No nothing.

"We went in there, got to the escalator, and people said, 'Prince canceled,'" says my old pal, who turned tail and headed to the Playboy party at the downtown Aloft.

Pete's at the InterContinental, awaiting a one-on-one with the event organizer. He should have more on DC9 at some point. (Update at 9:17 p.m.: Pete never found an organizer with whom to speak. Instead, he got some kind of an explanation from the night's emcee -- none other than Chris Arnold. His on-the-floor account is, however, forthcoming.)

[Update at 11:21 p.m.: Here's Pete's update, in which he speaks to Chris Arnold and Paul Levatino, who works with Badu, about the failed evening. And, Pete was told: Prince had indeed been at the hotel earlier today.]

Rachel Deering, herself a musician and wife of Milo, is furious. Her daughter Scarlett, who goes to Berklee College of Music, flew home "at our expense" to open, Rachel says, and it wasn't easy. "The kids went down there, and no one in charge of anything came over and said anything," she tells Unfair Park. "The kids just heard it had been canceled."

Scarlett, a Booker T. grad seen here performing with her dad, was a winner of a Goss-Michael Foundation scholarship; three girls, all recipients of said scholarship, were asked to open the show, before Erykah Badu was scheduled to appear. All three were invited to perform a solo piece -- and all flew in on their own dime.

"We got there, and it was completely unorganized," says Scarlett, a violinist. "We tried to find the people we'd been communicating with over the e-mail," including someone from the Goss-Michael Foundation, for whom theEvent had been a fund-raiser.

"We were trying to find them when we were supposed to be doing our sound check," she tells Unfair Park. "We were then just stuck in a room. They told us to wait till one of the girls showed up to talk to us. We just waited there for probably an hour, then one of the other girls' dads went to ask what was going on, and he was told the show was canceled. It seems all the people who were in charge just left without telling anyone what was going on, so none of the volunteers knew what was going on."

The girls were then told Prince is still in Los Angeles (though, according to our music editor, his band's at the hotel -- or, at least, in town). (Update at 9:20 p.m.: Per the comments, and Pete, Prince is, in fact, in town.) At which point, the girls left. "I'm more angry than upset," says Scarlett, who at least finds the whole botched affair ... funny, in an infuriating sort of way.

I tried all day to reach Joyce Goss, exec director of the foundation. She never returned my calls. I told her assistant why I wanted to talk. Ellen Fryer at The Buzzell Company, which was handling PR for the event, likewise never responded to any of my e-mails today -- and I sent many after her two e-blasts this afternoon.

See, this is why I don't leave the house anymore. Too disappointing out there.

Prince and Erykah Badu's ...? And Why?

There was a whirlwind of press releases in the past few weeks leading up to tonight's scheduled benefit featuring Prince and Erykah Badu. First, it was happening in a tent at the old Reunion Arena location. Then, it had been moved to the InterContinental Hotel. And then, just this afternoon, it was canceled due to lack of funding. Then, suddenly, it was back on again.

Turns out the final announcement was still to come. And it was given as guests were arriving at the event: The concert was off. No e...ouncement. And there was only vague discussion of refunds for tickets ("Head to the point of purchase," patrons were told) that, till they went half-off late today, cost $1,500 a person -- with proceeds going to a foundation for kids. People arriving at TheEvent, as this benefit concert was being called, were met at the escalator by the bearer of bad news, a seemingly odd source. Or, turns out, maybe not.

The job was left to Mavs sideline man and longtime radio fixture Chris Arnold, who referred to himself as "one of the event's organizers" and who was scheduled to emcee the event. He greeted these patrons, all dolled up for a swanky and expensive event, with a handshake, a sad frown and a litany of apologies. Arnold stood alone in these efforts. We could find no one representing Kenny Goss and George Michael's foundation, for whom the event was being thrown.

"Don't blame Prince," Arnold told a small gathering of fans, many visibly and audibly upset at the last-second news. "He really wanted to be here. His band was here. I will take the blame. Blame me for the event not happening."

When asked what he should be blamed for, Arnold smiled sheepishly. He wasn't sure. Money, he said, was not the issue -- despite the press release sent out this afternoon claiming the organizer, River Alexander Group, couldn't cough up the dough to make this happening happen. River Alexander Group, Teresa Gubbins notes on P... to Arnold, turns out.

"We had the funds," Arnold said. "Did we need more? Well, we got more. We got over that hurdle."

When pressed for more details, Arnold offered none. He said he didn't know if Prince was in town. He said didn't know if Prince had made it out to the venue. All he knew was that refunds were going to be available at the point of purchase, and that Badu, at one point, had offered to perform on her own.

Nonetheless, the event was canceled.

Other than to say that he and his fellow organizers had been "that close" to pulling off their event, Arnold couldn't offer much else.

"I can't even think of the right words," he said, shrugging.

Paul Levatino, who works closely with Badu as part of her Badu World team, couldn't offer much more insight, either -- other than to say that the Dallas native tried her best to keep the event going.

"Even when they were saying, 'We're sorry, we're canceling,' Erykah was talking to me, trying to figure out how we could make something happen," Levatino said, indicating that Badu spent a good portion of her own money on the event. He hinted that she may also have contacted a few of her other famous friends in town for Super Bowl weekend, trying to find someone to replace Prince.

"There wasn't really too much opportunity for that, though," Levatino said. "But people were talking. There were a lot of things going on."

A different member of Badu's camp, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that much, indeed, was going on behind the scenes -- albeit on another front. According to the source, Prince and his handlers arrived on the site this afternoon, and that the handlers had scoped the venue out only to find that it wasn't up to their standards.

"Prince never even stepped inside the hotel," the source said.

And that, the source added, was just one of the issues. Sound and lighting engineers hadn't been paid and were refusing to set up their equipment until they got their money. And when they finally did, the hotel -- which, our source says, was also claiming it wasn't paid -- apparently made the final decision to pull the plug and move on.

"We heard the news, like, right at 8 o'clock," Levatino added. "Literally, right when everybody got there. Erykah just wanted to perform with her friend and for the foundation. And she was going to do it. She didn't really know the Goss-Michael Foundation until recently, but she respects what they do."

Calls to the Goss-Michael Foundation have not been returned.

Levatino, meanwhile, said he'd prefer not to say more -- he too will be awaiting The Official Word from the Goss-Michael Foundation before speaking further.

"Hopefully," Levatino added, "we'll get another chance."

[Edited 2/5/11 9:53am]

Ohhhhh, so rooty poot, punk ass Chris Arnold is behind the River Alexander Group. Now this shit's starting to make some sense.

Who exactly was behind the failed Prince Super Bowl concert?

by Teresa Gubbins

Cancellation news came straight from the lips of Dallas Mavericks commentator Chris Arnold.

Prince pass

DALLAS — The ballyhooed on-again/off-again Super Bowl show starring Prince on Friday ended up being a bust, as attendees found out when they showed up at Hotel InterContinental and were told the event was canceled.

The show was advertised as "an all-inclusive soiree the includes music, art, food, spirits, and more" that featured a "rare performance by Prince" and opening act Erykah Badu, plus Goss-Michael Foundation scholarship winners, DJs, and "additional special guests."

An attendee at the show who asked not to be identified described a confusing scene in which approximately 100 ticket-holders waited in the lobby hotel to be allowed up to the second level where a deluxe gourmet food spread was purportedly laid out.

As the hour drew closer, Dallas Mavericks commentator Chris Arnold -- who'd been tweeting up the event since December 31, including sharing a password to buy tickets -- emerged and announced that although Prince's band had made it, Prince himself had not, and the whole thing was called off. He also told ticket-holders that their money would be refunded.

The mystery is, who were the organizers of the event? A promised "one on one" with the organizer fell through for Unfair Park, and none of the memos or releases issued throughout this debacle make it clear who was behind it all.

On the PrinceDallas website -- whose ticking clock is mistakenly set a day late, and which still had tickets for sale on Friday night at 10 p.m. -- three parties are listed: 1. The Goss-Michael Foundation, 2. River Alexander Group, and 3. Elevate.

It surely isn't Goss-Michael; they'd already started to back-pedal by 1:30 p.m. when they sent out a press release distancing themselves from the event. And Elevate is a ticketing company.

Our attention turns to River Alexander Group, a newly formed organization that filed its incorporation pages on December 27, 2010. According to a Secretary of State Business Organizations inquiry (photo above), River Alexander's registered agent is listed as William C. Arnold, with a second manager listed as Eric Dunn.

River Alexander Group's address is listed as 2230 Kessler Parkway, Dallas, which has previously housed an organization called D Minor & Associates, as well as a company called Nia's Enchanted Hair Boutique. Drevelyn Minor owned the property at 2230 Kessler Parkway in 2003, but according to DCAD, the current owner is Chris Arnold.

Chris Arnold did not return emails or calls.

Hotel InterContinental confirmed that the event had been canceled at 8:30 p.m. A call center for the event, set up by organizers at the hotel, was already dismantled by 9:30 p.m.

Attendees felt burned by the experience. The Hotel InterContinental staffer said that some had come by the front desk to register their complaints, and were frustrated that the call center had disappeared.

"It seemed fishy that they weren't letting us upstairs," said our anonymous attendee. "There's no way they didn't know sooner, or they would have had to have the food and drink out. After Chris came down to say the event was canceled, they had a bunch of hotel staff standing in front of the escalators, with their arms folded to make sure no one went up."

For those of you who bought tix, please keep us updated on your ability to obtain refunds. Knowing what I know, I REALLY hope you don't have difficulties getting your money back.

Again

I blame Larry.