FACT: Multiple deadlines for booking flights/hotels were missed by the promoter.

FACT: The promoter ignored the booking criteria thus breaking the contract.

FACT: The agreed on security deposit was never sent to Spree and ADB from the promoter.

FACT: The promoter told us to cancel the booking if he missed the deadlines.

FACT: DJ Spree loves HHC and enjoys playing HHC for you! :) (but not enough that I'd put my life on the line, as I'm now receiving violent threats from the promoter.)

Here are the details. We're just sticking to the facts here. The links below are to the actual emails sent back and forth between us and the promoter.

• Nov. 3rd: we were contacted and asked to play a show.



• Nov. 4th: After thinking about it for 1 day, we responded saying that we were interested. We sent a contract, and instructions/requirements on how to book us. The promoter agreed to the fee, he agreed to purchase flights, and he agreed to abide by the booking contract. We were very up-front about all of these requirements. We even went out of our way to find reasonably priced flights and hotel information for the promoter.
  
• If the promoter had a problem with our rules for booking us, he should have said so, and we could have all gone our seperate ways at that time.


• Nov. 9th: This was the due date listed in the contract for having it signed, as well as having the hotel and flights booked. This date was missed. No flights purchased, no contract, no hotel.


• Nov. 18th: We finally hear from the promoter. He returns the contract, not signed, but with his name just typed in. This is 9 days after the due date. He claims that he will book the hotel and flights on this day. He asks us to "re-send" the flight info that we had previously sent on 11/4. We can assume he lost the information.


• Nov. 23nd - morning: No hotel information was sent to Spree and ADB, even though 4 days prior the promoter promised to do so "that evening". No flights were booked. No security deposit was received. All aspects of the contract were breached. Due to the lack of communication and follow-through from the promoter, we decided to offer an ultimatum to try to rescue the gig.
  • We were extremely clear that unless the promoter did everything that was requested, they should not spend a single dime and we should cancel the gig. We tried to save the promoter money.
  
  
• Nov. 23rd - later that morning The promoter leaps into action given the ultimatum and books a hotel at the wrong airport (hotel at O'Hare - flight at Midway)!
  • Also note that the promoter promised that the deposit would be received by 5pm on 11/23. Keep that info tucked in your mind as you keep reading, it's important later.
  
  
• Nov. 23rd - afternoon: We did not yet receive the deposit. However, flights and hotel are booked. Even though the promoter was extremely late with all of it, it looked like he was going to come through.
• Spree ordered some records via Fedex for overnight delivery for the show even! (Fedex overnight from UK is not cheap)
• Since our flights were scheduled to get us there at 2pm on Saturday that would leave us with about 8 hours of free time before our 12am set. Since we believed up to this point that the booking would happen, we started researching fun things to do in Chicago prior to the gig.


• Nov. 23rd - evening: The promoter explains that we will not receive the deposit as promised. He asked for an extension until 12-noon on 11/25. He then tells us that we can cancel the booking if it's not received at that time.


• Nov. 25th: Yup, you guessed it. The promoter never sent the deposit. So let me recap:
• Promoter was told on 11/4 that deposit, flights, hotels were due 11/9
• Promoter missed 11/9 deadline, and stopped responding to emails until 11/18.
• Promoter promises flights/hotels on 11/18. No flights/hotels were booked on that date...
• Promoter given ultimatum, after several date extensions, of 11/23 to have everything booked and deposit sent.
• Promoter misses 11/23 deadline for deposit, and books wrong hotel (14 days beyond the original deadline)
• Promoter sets a self-imposed deadline of 11/25, and tells us we can cancel if it's not received.
• Promoter never sends the deposit... so we cancel.


• Nov. 26th: Thanksgiving Day. A day to be spent with family, and not stressing out about gigs and promoters missing deadlines. We were worried that if we had such a problem with communication, that there may be other issues with the promoter booking sound, venue, lights, etc. It felt like the event might be a waste of everyone's time. So we canceled our appearance at the gig.

Here are some additional fun facts:

• No security deposit was ever received by Spree and ADB for this show.


• We charge a small deposit for each booking to secure the show. This wasn't always the case a few years ago, but recently the percentage of times that we've not been paid for a show we played at, when we didn't ask for a security deposit, is nearly 100%.


• If this show was "only for the money" wouldn't Spree and ADB have waited until AFTER a security deposit was sent before canceling? Think about it... Spree & ADB didn't receive a single $0.01.


• In the name of "Giving", Spree personally donated 40 cans worth of food to a local food shelf in MN (2nd Harvest) on Friday 11/27. (Reference # 3173-1181-1-118661-118781)


• Spree did, in fact, produce only one mediocre track. :)


• MC ADB is sad that Liverpool was eliminated from the Champions league. Please keep him in your thoughts.