Chris Thater had a much better attendance last season. I do speak with the promoter on occasion and I think part of the reason was the inclusion of a stage and live bands playing throughout the day. The fact that most of them were amateurs and undercutting pro musicians like me notwithstanding, it was a good thing for the event.

When he told me what his band budgets were and the number of bands, I did some internal math and then held back laughter. However, I can see it from a promoter's point of view and he probably did the right thing for the event in general.