Twelve days before the celebration of Mad Cool Sunset, the festival scheduled for September 10 at the Vadebebas venue (Madrid), the organization has canceled the event. Following the drop of headliner Rage Against The Machine, announced 19 days ago, organizers have said in a statement that they have been “unable to find a substitute band at the level of Californians.”
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The musical event, made up of 16 other groups, could not be saved: “We understand that the cancellation of the headlining Mad Cool Sunset’s main event has been a disappointment and a change in the plans of many of the attendees, since the purchase of tickets had, in many cases, the objective of being part of the return of RATM to the stages of our country ” , they have said in the press release sent to the media. The return of the money, except for the management fees, will be automatic, without the need to request it.
Among the rest of the groups whose concerts have been canceled are Biffy Clyro, Glass Animals, Sterephonics, Los Zigarros or Kurt Vile & The Violators.
Rage Against The Machine has canceled its entire European tour to facilitate Zach de la Rocha’s medical recovery, which has also caused the fall of his other concert in Malaga: the Andalucía Big Festival macro-concert also organized by Mad Cool. In that case, the organizers have replaced the rock group with three bands of different styles: C Tangana, Franz Ferdinand and Suede.
As the organization had announced, until the replacement was announced, it would not allow the request for a refund of the ticket price to those buyers who, with the change in the poster, are no longer interested. This Monday, August 29, the process began, and it will be open until 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, September 8, the day the festival begins. This Monday, the consumer organization Facua has denounced Andalucía Big Festival SL (a company owned by Mad Cool) before the General Directorate of Consumption of the Junta de Andalucía. for limiting the deadline for the return of tickets after the modification of the poster, as well as for delaying the reimbursement until September 8 and not reimbursing the management expenses.
On Monday afternoon, after the announcement of the cancellation in Madrid, the organization has received a barrage of criticism on social networks when it communicated that the management fees – a fee targeted by consumer organizations, which they define as “of doubtful legality”—by Mad Cool Sunset (9 euros) are also non-refundable.
A troubled promoter
The Madrid promoters have also offered, as an option other than reimbursement, the exchange of the Mad Cool Sunset ticket (89 euros normal ticket / 165 euros VIP ticket) for a subscription to Andalucía Big Festival (125 euros normal ticket / 250 euros VIP ticket) .
Andalucía Big Festival by Mad Cool is an event that had announced it would take place on Malaga’s Sacaba beach without having the necessary permits, so it had to be moved to the Malaga Fairgrounds. This festival has a strong public subsidy, 4.2 million euros, of which 80% come from ERDF funds, as announced by the Andalusian Government. However, as revealed by this newspaper, the Board has assigned European funds for the “internationalization of Andalusian companies” to a promoter from Madrid.
This festival is celebrated in the same Malaga province as another with similar characteristics, Cala Mijas, just a week later. The Mijas festival is organized by LastTour, a promoter with whom Mad Cool has a history of competition.
In addition, after the event in Madrid in July, Mad Cool has been denounced by consumer organizations for charging attendees the return of the money left over from the bracelets to pay for drinks.
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