VIENNA - The owner of Yellowbeard's said tickets will be refunded for the Sunday show that was abruptly canceled last weekend.
Brad Witek, owner of the bar in Vienna, said they are refunding tickets for shows on Sunday. He said the money is coming out of their pockets.
"We are doing it to make it right with (Taunia) Bowman and our customers as best we can."
Last Friday night marked the start of the three-day Music to Crush MS event at Yellowbeard's in Vienna. Bowman, the event organizer, was hoping the Music to Crush MS event would be a great fundraiser for the cause. Officials had lined up about 24 bands for the three-day event, including Skid Row, Trixter with Brittany Fox, as well as a number of local bands.
The cost of tickets for all three days was $65 a person. Tickets to Sunday's festivities were $25 a person.
The featured band, Skid Row, performed Friday night. But shaky financing had Saturday night's performance in doubt and resulted in Sunday's events being canceled.
Bowman said it was a mess. Witek said there was no money to pay the bands.
Witek and Bowman said the club used money from its sales to keep bands participating in the Music to Crush MS show Friday and Saturday.
Bowman said before Skid Row took the stage the band had not been paid the full amount it was promised. She said Witek pulled all the money from the cash registers to come up with the cash.
"We scraped up what we had," Witek said.
Saturday, Bowman found out Trixter also had not been completely paid. When she arrived at the club around noon she discovered the sound and stage operators tearing down the stage, because they also had not been paid.
Witek said the club contributed out of its own till to keep the bands Friday and Saturday.
"I wasn't doing it for Sunday," he said.
Witek said they still have shows planned, including George Jones.
Witek said he and Bowman were told everything was covered.
Witek speculates the event promoter Craig Roberts was planning on making enough money to pay off the bands through tickets sales.
"There were a lot less ticket sales than expected," Witek said.
Witek said the club has provided the area about 20 shows in the last nine months, including Brett Michaels and David Alan Coe.
"We had no problems before this," he said.
Witek said it was the first time they had worked with the promoter.
"We, basically, were letting the promoter use our facility," Witek said. "I won't ever be doing that ever again."
A message left for Craig Roberts was not returned. Monday Roberts declined to talk when contacted.
Witek said club officials had been planning to close at the end of the month, but other circumstances led to the club's closure on Mother's Day.
"We closed up early to get ready for the move."
Witek declined to say where Yellowbeard's would relocate but said it was in Parkersburg.
