Probably most of the fans who had already purchased tickets have seen the news that O.A.R. (of a revolution) has canceled their June 8th show at Grayson Stadium in Daffin Park here in Savannah. Refunds are available through the original point of purchase.
From the Savannah Morning News on Saturday:
“There apparently are numerous factors that contributed to the decision that I’m not privy to,†[Savannah Sand Gnats president John Katz] said. “Obviously, we’re disappointed and understand they’re working on rescheduling a date with the band. Unfortunately, we don’t have any control over this.†[…]
A representative of SavCon said Sam Frankel at POW! Entertainment told him the concert was canceled because the platoon/battalion that Stan Lee met at Hunter Army Airfield in October was deployed, and the entertainment group wanted that platoon to be able to benefit from the concert/charity.
It’s a curious move, and there’s no reason to doubt the reason for cancellation here. But one wonders what ticket sales could have been like for this show.
Savannah is notoriously a walkup town — residents are accustomed to waiting till the day of the show to buy tickets for lots of concerts. And even though this was billed as a military benefit, the ticket prices were pretty high. The amounts aren’t out of line with other O.A.R. shows around the country, but box seating for $50, reserved for $40, and general admission for $35 is pretty pricy around these parts. Even DoD cardholders would have had to pay $25, and gift tickets for active duty military members were $25 too. (I like the band OK, but no way I would have gone for those prices.)
A portion of the net proceeds would apparently have supported various military charities, but what does “net” mean here? After the promoters and band took their cuts, how much would have been left?
As stated elsewhere, O.A.R.’s Facebook page notes that there is a chance of rescheduling, but we’ll see how serious that is. No one has even bothered to update Stan Lee’s POWer Concerts Facebook page with the cancellation info. Ditto for Stan Lee’s Facebook page. The series’ website has just one more event listed for all of 2013.
None of this looks good for O.A.R. fans.