Music Festival May Bop Out of Concord

While still trying to raise enough money to keep its two-day music festival in the city of Concord later this summer, organizers of the Granite State Music Festival confirmed rumors on Jan. 24, that they were looking at other, less expensive communities, to hold the music festival in.

Scott Solsky, the festival director, said as organizers plan the third year of the festival, the bottom line required them to consider another location.

“It’s really expensive,” he said. “Between the venue, the security … it makes it a real challenge.”

Solsky called Kiwanis Riverfront Park, near the Everett Arena in Concord, the location of the last two festivals, “a great location” and said he and others were still “working on” staying there.

“I’m doing everything I can to make sure it stays in Concord,” he said, adding that they are holding fundraisers to offset the expenses. “But the costs … it’s a challenge.”

When asked about private areas of the city that could be utilized or maybe connecting with another organization to keep the festival in Concord, Solsky said nothing was off the table. But, even with a private organization, organizers still have to follow the same rules for security and permitting fees, which increase the costs.

The festival, which offers both local and national acts, as well as a professional presentation, featuring staging, lighting, and sound, was originally being put together to raise money for the Concord Community Music School. It has reportedly, however, broken even on expenses, due mostly to the cost of putting on such a high quality event while still trying to keep ticket prices low. Other communities, he said, have different rules that are less expensive. Some communities don’t require a police presence or allow event organizers to hire private security firms that specialize in handling musical festivals at half the cost of police officers.

“Really, having that option would be outstanding,” he said, adding that “the city has worked really hard to be as accommodating as they can. I hope they will continue to work with me (although) sometimes their hands are tied as well.”

Solsky hasn’t made a formal request to the city to waive some of the requirements for the event, as other organizations have done in the past, but he is considering such a request. The city decided last year to look into the issue of how it handles event costs and requirements such as security, medical personnel, and other issues.

Solsky confirmed that organizers were considering a move to Canterbury last year and also spoke to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway about holding it at the racetrack. Another logical choice might also be Manchester, he said.

Currently, the Granite State Music Festival is in the middle of an $8,000 fundraising drive on indiegogo.com, to keep the event on track for 2014.

At post time, the festival had raised $1,100, with 13 days left for fundraising, and the organizers are offering some pretty cool incentives to get people to help out. A person who donates $50 can get a T-shirt. For $250, a person can get the opportunity to introduce a band. For $2,500, your child can get a 30-minute performance slot at the beginning of the festival on Sunday plus eight VIP tickers to share.

Solsky said if fans of the festival wanted to keep it in Concord, making a donation would be a way to help out. He said that the closer they reached their goal, the easier it would be to ensure that the concert stayed in Concord.

“It’s a question of the creative economy,” he said. “Are we serious about that … (this event) bolsters the city … it brings people into the city, keeping the businesses in business. It seems like it would be beneficial for the city to keep this event in Concord.”