I went up to Montreal this last weekend for Pouzza Fest. Montreal is a rad city and the lineup is really cool but, like last year, there were some really big issues. In a nutshell:
1) Most bands' only payment was a pass to the Fest, they were told this was just as good as the standard 3-day pass. Bigger venues did not respect this and declined them entry, stating that the show was oversold. However, for $20 they would be allowed in. The venues claimed this came from the Fest itself and was not venue policy. As a result, many of the bands felt as though they were taken advantage of.
2) Due to the underselling of certain shows that required the 'VIP pass', they were opened to the general admission audience. While it's cool that this meant that more people got to see more bands, at the same time when people payed an additional $50 to see many of the headliners - NFG, A Wilhelm Scream, Saves The Day, Braid, a bunch more - and suddenly that extra $50 isn't needed - it isn't exactly fair. Comments about this are being deleted from the official Facebook and neither of the head fest organizers are responding. It looks like no refunds will be given.
A few friends and I are looking to compile all the issues people are having and getting it on Punknews/other sites to get the word out. This is the third year in a row where this Fest has had major issues with admissions and at this point it seems like it is deliberately taking advantage of the smaller bands which are the lifeblood of this scene. If anyone attended - this Fest being nine hours away I figure it isn't too much of a stretch - or knows anyone that plays that had issues, please tell them to email me at Babrook @ gmail . com or on Facebook - 'Babs Brookover'. Virtually all the information I have right now is from a number of Ontario bands that I toured up with and just talking to other bands there as well as Facebook.
Thanks.