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Dinner Tonight: Meatless Pozole Verde (Hominy Soup)
For another fantastic and meatless posole verde, check out Steve Sando's recipe over at Rancho Gordo:
http://www.ranchogordo.com/html/rg_cook_posoleverde.htm
I've made it a number of times, always to rave reviews. Plus the recipe makes a LOT so there are always plenty of leftovers for lunches the following week.
Cook the Book: 'Beyond Nose to Tail' Contest
Fish Maw (maw == stomach, not mouth). Sure, the land critters have some mighty fine offal but don't overlook our finny friends! The fish maw soup served this year at Incanto's Head to Tail dinner was my favorite part of the meal. Sure, the beef tendon was good and the candied cockscombs were...um...interesting. But the fish maw was so tasty and well-balanced that nothing else held a candle to it.
Alice Waters Blogs (Sort Of)
Hrm. You ask a tough question, Herr Levine...
I have not made an exhaustive study of the tactics of Alice Waters or of Carlos Petrini. I do know that they both have lofty and admirable goals which I support. But you're likely correct that they might not be the best choices for functional leaders of their movements.
Within any movement it's critical to have a well-defined goal, but almost as critical is the ability to view the actions taken as small parts of a greater whole. The only place I know where you can see movements made in the blink of an eye is in movies (mostly involving Jet Li or those where Scotty mans the transporter). For everyone else it's a progression. When surveying the progress of any undertaking one shouldn't judge success by the answer of "Are we at our goal yet?" but rather "What progress have we made towards our goal?" The entire undertaking should be reviewed, progress applauded, faults acknowledged and future strategies reassessed in the light of the new knowledge gained. Baby steps are, after all, still steps.
Are Alice Waters and Carlos Petrini the sort of people to accept baby steps as the progress they are or are they of a more boolean mindset, where there is no "success" at all if it is not complete? Again, I can't say. I haven't worked directly with them and, as I already mentioned, haven't done research on the matter. I doubt anyone here has that kind of perspective, allowing them to make (and hopefully share here) a reasoned and measured judgment.
My own judgment right now is based only on what I read in places like this and my own experience with Slow Food. That judgment--or, more accurately, that opinion--is that right now the movement may be well served with different leadership. Leadership which understands that to make an impact on the American public it may, unfortunately, be necessary to consider taking a page from Madison Avenue's playbook and subtly work your way into the collective consciousness. This will likely allow the movement to make more progress and garner far more mindshare (read: raise awareness in a functional way) than can be accomplished by the seemingly evangelistic approach currently being taken.
Again, I do not know that Waters and Petrini are not already trying this along with their other tactics. If they're doing more than what I currently see (passing negative judgment against those who do not entirely meet their very high standards), then most of what I wrote above may be considered null and void and I'll have to reevaluate my current opinion. I, for one, would welcome the chance to admit that my opinion is wrong.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
My three friends and I also attended today's event. By now I think we can all agree that this shindig did not go over as hoped. There's unlikely to be much benefit in adding yet another voice to the chorus of those shouting "Epic Fail!" and so I won't.
Instead of complaining and pointing fingers I'd be interested in hearing some details on why things went as they did. It's unlikely that Ed Levine and Serious Eats are entirely (or even primarily) to blame. It's very possible that they had little say in the venue (perhaps no other was available?) or the wristband technology or the organization within the venue itself. Or maybe they did. We don't know and yet folks are lighting the torches and brandishing the pitchforks. It sucked. We know that. Now please chill.
So, yeah, this was a complete bust. No doubt the Serious Eats team is abundantly aware of that (and likely was long before the first irate comments were posted; Ed was there, after all). I wouldn't be surprised if they're not all sitting around a table right now, working on emptying some of the leftover kegs, revisiting the horror stories of the day and discussing how they can be avoided next time.
Would we, even after experiencing what we have, give it another chance next year? Would we be willing to hand over our time and our money for a 2nd Annual Great American Food and Music Fest? That so many people turned out for this one makes me think that there's a demand and so yes, we would. I certainly would, but only if it were evident that the organizers had learned a lot from this year's experience. Start with having a look at the suggestion above to hold it in Golden Gate Park. Good idea, that.
For the sake of the organizers, the vendors and my fellow attendees I'm very sorry that this went off as it did. But, hey, nothing ventured nothing gained. Thanks for at least trying.
Dinner Tonight: Meatless Pozole Verde (Hominy Soup)
For another fantastic and meatless posole verde, check out Steve Sando's recipe over at Rancho Gordo:
http://www.ranchogordo.com/html/rg_cook_posoleverde.htm
I've made it a number of times, always to rave reviews. Plus the recipe makes a LOT so there are always plenty of leftovers for lunches the following week.
Cook the Book: 'Beyond Nose to Tail' Contest
Fish Maw (maw == stomach, not mouth). Sure, the land critters have some mighty fine offal but don't overlook our finny friends! The fish maw soup served this year at Incanto's Head to Tail dinner was my favorite part of the meal. Sure, the beef tendon was good and the candied cockscombs were...um...interesting. But the fish maw was so tasty and well-balanced that nothing else held a candle to it.
Alice Waters Blogs (Sort Of)
Hrm. You ask a tough question, Herr Levine...
I have not made an exhaustive study of the tactics of Alice Waters or of Carlos Petrini. I do know that they both have lofty and admirable goals which I support. But you're likely correct that they might not be the best choices for functional leaders of their movements.
Within any movement it's critical to have a well-defined goal, but almost as critical is the ability to view the actions taken as small parts of a greater whole. The only place I know where you can see movements made in the blink of an eye is in movies (mostly involving Jet Li or those where Scotty mans the transporter). For everyone else it's a progression. When surveying the progress of any undertaking one shouldn't judge success by the answer of "Are we at our goal yet?" but rather "What progress have we made towards our goal?" The entire undertaking should be reviewed, progress applauded, faults acknowledged and future strategies reassessed in the light of the new knowledge gained. Baby steps are, after all, still steps.
Are Alice Waters and Carlos Petrini the sort of people to accept baby steps as the progress they are or are they of a more boolean mindset, where there is no "success" at all if it is not complete? Again, I can't say. I haven't worked directly with them and, as I already mentioned, haven't done research on the matter. I doubt anyone here has that kind of perspective, allowing them to make (and hopefully share here) a reasoned and measured judgment.
My own judgment right now is based only on what I read in places like this and my own experience with Slow Food. That judgment--or, more accurately, that opinion--is that right now the movement may be well served with different leadership. Leadership which understands that to make an impact on the American public it may, unfortunately, be necessary to consider taking a page from Madison Avenue's playbook and subtly work your way into the collective consciousness. This will likely allow the movement to make more progress and garner far more mindshare (read: raise awareness in a functional way) than can be accomplished by the seemingly evangelistic approach currently being taken.
Again, I do not know that Waters and Petrini are not already trying this along with their other tactics. If they're doing more than what I currently see (passing negative judgment against those who do not entirely meet their very high standards), then most of what I wrote above may be considered null and void and I'll have to reevaluate my current opinion. I, for one, would welcome the chance to admit that my opinion is wrong.
Farm Aid Didn't Sell Out!
Your post must have hit a big ol' button for me, since after I posted the comment above I still felt the need to continue my rant elsewhere.
This must've been building up for a while...
Farm Aid Didn't Sell Out!
I live in the Bay Area and, until recently, was a member of a Slow Food convivium here. I respect the work Ms. Waters does with her Edible Schoolyard and in promoting small local producers of quality foodstuffs. Yet I disagree strongly with her stand on this particular issue.
I'm sorry, ma'am, but it is not necessary either to come to San Francisco or to involve Slow Food in order to meet the goals of Farm Aid. As much as I love it I must admit that currently the Bay Area's most common export in food culture is arrogance. Contrary to the publicly espoused opinions of Ms. Waters and others, we in the Bay Area are not the end-all be-all of the food world. Yes, we are blessed with an almost enviable array of fantastic producers who respect not only their consumers but especially their products. But we are not the only place. Nor are we the only source of all-things-good in American food culture.
That aside, Mr. Levine is correct in pointing out that Ms. Waters seems to have missed the point of Farm Aid: helping small farmers. When you as the owner of a business see the black ink ever increasingly replaced by the red you are not too particular about who refills your black pen. Yes, in a perfect world Farm Aid would be able to meet their goals of helping family farmers through the help of the "appropriate" large companies.
Wait...no, that's not right. Because, you see, in a perfect world there would be no need for family farmers to receive any help at all. They'd be able to do what they love (producing quality produce and meat and avoiding the corporate monoculture of our agriculture) without having to lose sleep wondering whether they might make it through this season if only they can get another mortgage and maybe leave their machines back to the bank.
So please cut these people some slack. They are, I'm sure, doing quite the best that they can considering the general apathy in our society towards small farms. When other more "acceptable" companies and organizations step up to the plate and offer their support (financial and otherwise) to Farm Aid then I'm sure that their help will be accepted gladly.
Maybe the vaunted Slow Food would care to throw out the first pitch by contributing the proceeds of even one of the many over $100 a plate benefit dinners which they throw on their own behalf every year...
Cook the Book: 'Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant'
In my world eating with others means eating out in a restaurant. The vast majority of meals are spent eating alone. I don't let that restrict my cooking options. Instead, I'll usually spend most of Sunday cooking some large involved meal. Oxtail stew, cassoulet, sausage, roast meats, Indian curries and dals...whatever I feel like trying that week. What I produce becomes lunches or dinners for the week (and beyond, if some ends up in the freezer). Eating alone does not mean I should not eat well, after all.
Wish We Were There: Head to Tail Dinner in SF
My friends and I attended the HtT dinner this year. Though not every course knocked it out of the park we still enjoyed ourselves immensely. Enough, in fact, to reserve Incanto's Dante Room in September for us and 13 friends to partake in one of Incanto's Whole Beast Feasts.
My review of the HtT dinner can be found here.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
We appreciate all your feedback on the fest. We're taking to heart the lessons we've learned and we will certainly apply them to any events we get involved with in the future. If you'd like to request a refund, please contact jimlewi@theagencygroup.com. These requests will be addressed on a case by case basis. We are closing comments on this post. If you have additional feedback that you'd like to share with us, e-mail foodfest@seriouseats.com.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I ran a race last year that was botched up beyond belief. The course was poorly marked, the volunteers weren't there in time, and people all ran different courses, making it such that times and places meant nothing. Runners were understandably upset...there were people who had put months and months of training into this event. The race director expressed his apologies, and offered to let anyone who participated in last year's event into this year's event at the price of their choosing (they could pay anything from nothing to the standard price, based on what they felt the race was worth). The race will likely lose money next year, but it's setting itself up for future years, and it's better than having no one show up and folding altogether. Ed, maybe you could consider something like that? I wasn't at the Fest, so I have no idea how poorly it went, but based on what I'm reading, it sounds like unless you do something, no one's going to return next year. If this is truly your dream, a little incentive for people who got burned this year might get them to come back next year. It sounds like a bear to organize, and I think people are being a little harsh, but then again, as I said, I wasn't there. I wish you the best of luck with future Food and Music Fests, and hope that you take the lessons you learned this year and use them to make next year a success.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
@hymie - you are an asshole. You can get your money refunded. That's not enough for you?
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
If we all work together, people we can get our refunds and maybe even network to the point of doing a class-action suit against the promoters of this event. I am in the process of looking for a law firm that will take the case. Stay tuned. Don't let them win!
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
PS. to my earlier comment. A live Bobby and Paula demo-pairing would erase many hard-feelings!
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I was there all day, from 8am - 11pm, working on the music half of the festival. And for our part, I think it was a good day. The sound and tech crews were professional and friendly, and I think the music performances were almost flawless. Ok, one glitch with a band who didn't all fit on the small stage. But for such a large event, people truly did a fantastic job from the planning stages to the end.
I do hope Serious Eats and all involved give the food half some further consideration and try again. I did have one of the bagels mid-afternoon. It was a tasty snack.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I've already posted our disappointment with the entire event (blah, blah, blah).... not going to rehash that. Instead I will put new comments out in a positive light.
1) We called LiveNation Sunday evening, actually got a live person! The person with whom my husband spoke was very good at Customer Service, with just a few questions and answers, voila our credit card will be credited for the purchase of our tickets. We received confirmation today that the credit is confirmed.
2) YES, our experience was not as expected. We missed seeing the demos from the Food Network people that we watch on our television for more hours than we care to admit to :)
3) Both my husband and I agree, that if the new-and-improved GAF&MF comes to the Bay Area again, we will purchase tickets.
4)Ed, you must know by now that you've been challenged to an unofficial "Throw Down" by all of the people who have posted their unhappy experience. We are hopeful that this was a learning experience for the many factions involved in putting it all together. We certainly would like the opportunity to see Bobby, Guy, Anne & Aida (and/or others) under better circumstances
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
This event had a lot of potential... too bad it didn't turn out the way it should have.
I don't feel that I need a refund for my tickets- I went, I had a good time w/ my friends, I was able to eat. HOWEVER, I checked my credit card account last night and found that these guys charged me TWO apparently flat fees of $75. I had linked my credit card to two different wrist bands, but we didn't spend anywhere NEAR $75. How could we, when the whole damn system wasn't working? We paid cash for most of our items.
Anyone else have this problem? Any idea on who I should contact regarding being over-charged by the vendors/wristband people/Great American Food and Music Fest? The website itself does not have a contact # or anything.
I'm pretty easygoing and I am prepared to let a lot of thing slide. But come on, people. This is getting beyond ridiculous.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
My husband called the event "Line Nation". Enough said.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
Without question a complete disaster. I am so glad my party figured it out and left after standing in line to get in and then trying to get some food. We only wasted 3 hours. The final insult was being told to stand in line for a refund. No way - we left.
I just got off the phone with Tim Anderson, the manager at Live nation. Nedless to say he is not having a good day. For a refund make a copy of your ticket, mail the original to:
Tim Anderson
Live Nation
1 Ampitheater Parkway
Mt. View, CA 94043
650 967-3000
Good luck!
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
If you don't get a refund, they win. Here's the refund info. : Live Nation (888-598-4299) or 650 - 967 - 3000 Online use :
http://www.livenation.com/help
Press tab ask a question
Product- Event feedback- write a short full refund letter. If you paid credit card, the process will be faster. If you paid cash, make copies and keep originals. It will take longer to process. For the parking fee, you have to contact the Shoreline to get it. Mail a copy of your parking stub and/or your tickets. No guarantee on parking fee, but many others got their refund for it that day. Here's my factual story:
Why is dishonesty, incompetence, and immorality an integral way your company does business? Many people today had to spend hours in line to get their first meal the whole day. The fact of the matter is that I personally spent 5 hours in a totally disorganized line for a patrami or buffalo wings. Why did your company and vendors condone this? Why weren't customers offered refunds for their ticket admission?Why weren't the customers in line given timely valid updates, refunds and water? Customers were given nothing but a pin from the restaurant. Others heard we could get a refund for admission if they do it before 4pm. I was in my first line until 5pm. and no announcement was made by any staff or security. No security or staff organized lines to food vendors until 6pm. The events for the day close at 10pm. I never witnessed any security-in yellow shirts organize lines until 6pm. How do you explain that fact? How can you defend the great incompetence displayed by the planning and execution of all the staff involved? The event didn't open its doors until 1230pm and it was advertised that people could enter 1.5 hrs. before 12pm. Then, the computers to charge money on wrist bands was down. The I.T. guys didn't bother to test the software, which was quoted by a staff member in a food line. She had a badge on-staff printed on it. People who paid $300 for their wrist band were supposed to be able to walk through the front entrance. They didn't because the staff didn't tell anyone in line about the policy and there were no signs to explain the policy and format. How can you explain this fact? The company oversold the event(even selling tickets that day), they projected 5K people and got 10K+, they made the excuse everybody showed up at the same time-total lie and total nonsense, gave no water or a scrap of food to anyone- especially a 2 year old boy, the elderly, or those who baked in the unshaded sun for 5 hours straight.
My friends and I demand a full refund for the completely unacceptable level of incompetence and poor business practices that we endured this day.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
Thanks to those of you who posted Live Nation's customer serivce line. I called as well and the transaction went smoothly.
Call me crazy, but if they do this again I will possibly attend. I 'm sure what we experienced Saturday was close to the worst it could have been. They have some time to attempt to redeem themselves.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I just had to add something. After waiting hours and hours to get to the Katz counter, the kid running the counter has the nerve to put out a tip cup. Are you kidding me? I just had to laugh at that point.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
Thanks for posting the LiveNation customer service number (1.888.598.4299).
Phoned now (9:45am PST), held for about 5 minutes and spoke with Mike.
I can confirm that they are giving refunds, no questions asked. Mike didn't even ask why, he just took my order number (for 8 tickets, around $200) and said they'd have a full refund within a few days.
Mike apologized on their behalf, though he wasn't aware of what happened as these guys are located in Virginia, having heard only that it wasn't fun so please don't go in guns blazing - these customer service guys had nothing to do with it.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I thought this would be a great event - obviously it wasn't and I'm glad I didn't travel or spend any money on it.
I tried to go to our city's chili festival this year, and not even halfway through the event, all vendors ran out of food and they cut ticket prices in half...basically, they still wanted you to pay half for absolutely nothing. We politely declined at the gate. Unfortunately the city refused to give parking refunds, so we walked a few blocks and ate at a great restaurant.
What is it with events these days?
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
After 4 p.m. people using cash seemed to have a great time buying food at lines that were most often 15 minutes or less, and never more than half an hour.
---
This is a LIE. We left at 5 with no end in sight. FAIL. FAIL. FAIL.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I was in envy of folks who had the opportunity to attend this event and am appalled at how it failed. I feel so badly for anyone who spent money/looked forward and worked hard to try and make this happen.
But I must say I agree with foodpr - I didn't even attend this thing and I think the response from SE has not been up to snuff. Clear instructions for getting refunds are obviously in order and have not been provided. Ed, your apology wasn't strong enough and you need to update it - NOW. I know your heart was in the right place, but your execution wasn't and you need to suck it up - particularly if you want to try and rework this and do it again. How you handle this failure will determine if you have a success scenario in the future. Best of luck.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
Ed,
You MUST step up with some serious damage control. A hedgey apology won't cut it (nor will closing the comments on your apology post). Make it clear that folks will get their money back and lay out exactly how they can go about it. Yep, you'll have to eat the cost of the event. But it will stave off the (more expensive) law suits.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I'm a PR guy and a major foodie. The only reason I didn't attend this past weekend was because of a bum knee awaiting surgery. I'd really wanted to go, but couldn't.
In retrospect, I am glad I didn't.
But even moreso, given my job in PR, I'm stunned.
First off, even great "PR" can't make up for a lack of execution. The product is what the product is -- in this case, it was the GAFAMF, or whatever they're calling it now.
For all of those of you who routinely dismiss PR as some sort of fake balm, here's what my firm would've recommended:
An apology of SE a LOT sooner than Ed's. Comments were spiralling out of control by mid-afternoon Saturday.
An apology better than Ed's. Sorry, but I don't care about your dream or passed blamage.
A direct, easy to use guide on how to get refunds, with numbers and names, right here on SE.
An suggestion box email address (to get some of the bitching offline!) that connects people directly with SE and Ed.
That's it for now. I get paid to do this stuff. But yeah, um, those would be good starts.
SE and Ed, if you want to start to turn it around, email me. Apparently, the douches you've already poured money into haven't help one single bit. Agreed? :)
Good luck!
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
We have all acknowledged that this event was a total disaster due to such obvious failures that were avoidable with basic planning, that we fail to understand how it could have happened. Rather than add to the venting, I offer the following positive observations and suggestions for the future of this event:
1. Plan for the attendance. Any food event of this magnitude will attract over 10,000 people in any metropolitan area, so you have to plan for 20,000 to play safe, even in the first year of the event. When I read Ed Levine's interview in the Chronicle prior to the event, when he anticipated serving 5,000 portions, I knew he had underestimated the attendance.
2. Choose the right venue. This was a food event in a music event venue. Shoreline is a major music venue, with a small area for food options, not equipped for a major food event with some music options.
3. Understand the event. This event was all about sampling as much food as possible, which meant offering small portions. I knew that I would be coming alone to this event, and e-mailed the event website twice in the weeks before the event, requesting smaller portions for sampling. Unfortunately, I did not receive a response. Accordingly, I came equipped with a tote bag, plastic containers, zip lock bags and aluminum foil to take home the excess food to share with my family. Alas, I never needed to use any of it, because there was no food to take home.
To Ed Levine: It is so sad to me that your 14 year vision of this event had such bad planning. It appears that you were consumed with the bragging rights of assembling this stellar cast, that you overlooked the basics of planning a successful event, that ultimately embarrassed the cast that you worked so hard to assemble.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I've been to a lot of festivals and to Disneyland, and this was by far the most colossally disappointing event I've ever attended. We were there at noon with tix in hand, but left at 4:30, hungry and spending over an hour in the refund line. I won't repeat the details as most of these posts seem to be very similar to our experience. I must add that when we finally got inside the gate around 1:00 and asked a group of employees where we could get a menu and event map, one of them said, "There are no maps and menus - this is a green event." When I said, "Oh...where did they get them?" and pointed to the folks walking past us with them, she replied, "Oh! We have menus??" Sigh (I ended up finding them at a small booth off to the side).
Best thing about the festival: the good humor and camaraderie in the crowds, as everyone was in the same pathetic situation and you couldn't help but laugh a sad, ironic laugh (beats crying, which we did see in the refund line), or cheer whenever someone actually got food and waved it over their heads to the rest of the line as if it was some sort of rare treasure - well, in this case, I guess food WAS a rare and coveted treasure .
Things to think about, should the "organizers" (a generous title, at best) ever attempt this festival again:
- Check out the event site beforehand, and plan out physical space and amount of food to accommodate the large crowds you were expecting...and don't oversell.
- Communication to all employees before the start of the event. There was a plethora of conflicting information.
- Stanchions, and enough employees to control the size, flow and direction of lines and to keep people from cutting in.
- On the back of the Menu, put an Event Schedule and Map, not the Ticketing Options and Prices. We're already in the event - we already HAVE tickets and don't need to know the prices! Oh yeah, and hand them out at the entrance.
- Ditch the "cashless" wristband system that doesn't work.
My boyfriend and I love yummy food, summer festivals, and were really looking forward to a great day of entertainment. We ended up getting Wing Stop hot wings (with an Advil chaser for the hunger-headache), making cocktails at home and reading how much other people felt burned by this festival, too. Awesome.
I would recommend to anyone having a hard time with Live Nation regarding a refund to call your credit card company, explain the situation and dispute the charge.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I got the same email as unhappyeats...
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
How can it be all their fault in one breath, and entirely that of another company in the next? The failed wristband system was not responsible for the mile walk to the gate, the hour wait to get in, overselling of tickets, food shortages, inadequately staffed vendors, overpriced water, poorly considered venue, uncontrolled chaos in line-ups, lack of programs, and on and on. I'm sure the refunds are appreciated, but have some integrity--own your mistakes, apologize sincerely, and don't try to place blame elsewhere.
The Great American Food & Music Fest Is Today!
I got the email confirmation from Livenation that my refund has been processed. I should see the credit in 2-3 business days. I also sent an email to info@greatamericanfoodandmusicfest.com with my complaint. This is the response I received:
Thank you so much for taking the time to write. I am so incredibly
sorry about what you went through.
We certainly had every intention of making everything perfect. The fact
is, the problems were not anyone's fault by ours. Not the building's,
not Live Nation. We wanted to keep lines down so we invested all this
money (upfront...not too smart) for the "cashless system" that would do
just that... according to the company that was running it. This company
had a resume that included NASCAR races (200,000 +) so when we heard
that every transaction could be made in 3-seconds or less, we were in.
We had them come in a week early and start testing...making sure
everything worked...then as we opened the doors, the system failed.
The Fest did have an emergency system in place and cash banks and credit
card machines were distributed prior to the show, but it took us nearly
45-minutes to switch over and by that point, we had very large lines.
Added to that, it was our first year and we had no way to really judge
attendance. We looked at "pre-sales" and doubled them thinking that was
safe...and we would be over. We were wrong...and very sorry.
It is important to us as producers for you to understand that we do care
and put years of hard work into this just to have one company take us
down.
If you would like a refund, it isn't the easiest process, but it does
work.
PLEASE SEND A PHOTOCOPY OF YOUR TICKETS BACK TO
Shoreline Amphitheatre
One Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
ATTN: BOX OFFICE REFUNDS
Again, we are all so sorry this happened...but at the same time are not
giving up. We will come back next year on our tour and will have
something special for those who were put out this year.
Thank you again for writing.
Jim
Hope this helps.
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My three friends and I also attended today's event. By now I think we can all agree that this shindig did not go over as hoped. There's unlikely to be much benefit in adding yet another voice to the chorus of those shouting "Epic Fail!" and so I won't.
Instead of complaining and pointing fingers I'd be interested in hearing some details on why things went as they did. It's unlikely that Ed Levine and Serious Eats are entirely (or even primarily) to blame. It's very possible that they had little say in the venue (perhaps no other was available?) or the wristband technology or the organization within the venue itself. Or maybe they did. We don't know and yet folks are lighting the torches and brandishing the pitchforks. It sucked. We know that. Now please chill.
So, yeah, this was a complete bust. No doubt the Serious Eats team is abundantly aware of that (and likely was long before the first irate comments were posted; Ed was there, after all). I wouldn't be surprised if they're not all sitting around a table right now, working on emptying some of the leftover kegs, revisiting the horror stories of the day and discussing how they can be avoided next time.
Would we, even after experiencing what we have, give it another chance next year? Would we be willing to hand over our time and our money for a 2nd Annual Great American Food and Music Fest? That so many people turned out for this one makes me think that there's a demand and so yes, we would. I certainly would, but only if it were evident that the organizers had learned a lot from this year's experience. Start with having a look at the suggestion above to hold it in Golden Gate Park. Good idea, that.
For the sake of the organizers, the vendors and my fellow attendees I'm very sorry that this went off as it did. But, hey, nothing ventured nothing gained. Thanks for at least trying.