3:45 p.m. update
Rick Borean, supervisor of Community Services for the City of Sault Ste. Marie, told SooToday the Roberta Bondar Pavilion was booked for the Rock the Border Music Festival by the promoter in February. A meeting with the promoter took place in early April, at which time the venue booking package was given to the promoter.
Borean said that was the last time the city had any contact with the promoter. None of the required paperwork – including forms and licenses – was submitted, and no money or deposit of any kind was paid. It was decided on Thursday to officially cancel the venue permit and announce the event’s cancelation, said Borean.
Original 11:50 a.m. information
The Rock the Border Music Festival, which was scheduled to take place at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion this Sunday, has been cancelled. Although no official statement has been released by the event promoter, CSA International, the City of Sault Ste. Marie has confirmed the cancelation.
“The concert, advertised through an independent promoter, is not a city sanctioned event,” states a news release issued by the city today. “The city is disappointed that the community is not able to enjoy this concert and advises the public to be cautious when buying tickets to events outside of normal channels.”
The city statement directs those who have purchased tickets for the event to visit the promoter’s Eventbrite ticket website, which was still actively selling Rock the Border Music Festival passes at noon Thursday, June 15. However, the event was removed from Eventbrite later that day.
Rock the Border was to be co-headlined by Josh Todd and the Conflict (billed on the Facebook event page as ‘Josh Todd and Stevie D from Buckcherry’) and The Lazys, with local support from The Din and a few others that had yet to be announced.
On June 9, The Din released a video on Facebook announcing it was pulling out of the Rock the Border Music Festival. On June 13, management for The Lazys informed SooToday the festival had been cancelled by the event promoter. SooToday attempted to contact Josh Todd and the Conflict as well as Curtis St. George of CSA International, but received no response.
CSA International is the same promoter responsible for the cancelled Quiet Riot concert that was originally scheduled take place at The Machine Shop on March 30.