Another one of Minnesota's most popular summer music festivals is ending.
Twin Cities Summer Jam, which hosted musical acts from all genres, announced that 2022 was the last year of the annual festival. In a social media post, the festival spokesperson says that they won't be able to host the event in 2023 because the land they hosted the concert on has been sold. The developer of the land plans to build a 19,000-person amphitheater. Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream tells Henry Lake that the new development would go the corporate route of booking concerts there.
"There's a good chance the developer will cut a deal with Live Nation, which is the world's largest concert promoter. And you just can't compete with Live Nation if you're T-C Summer Jam. Live Nation has ties with all the major acts for multiple nights with big tours and you're the little guy as CEO Jerry Braam, of Twin Cities Summer Jam, put it it's like you're a local grocery store and then all of the sudden Walmart moves in across the street. Competition ain't fair."
The end of Twin Cities Jam comes just days after the Walker Art Center announced that Rock The Garden, another popular music festival, is ending. Bream says that the organizers of Twin Cities Summer Jam went to major talent agencies for advice, they all came back with the same answer.
"They told them that they'd be crazy to try to compete with Live Nation, which will move in with the amphitheater. You're also competing with so many other things. You've got all these country festivals in the upper midwest. You've got casinos that are booking bands. You've got the state fair booking bands. You've got the arenas booking bands. Look at how many stadium shows we've had this year. There's lots and lots of competition and I think they just looked in the mirror, looked at their calculators and realized it's too big of a climb to start over at a different venue."