Sun Fiesta, we hardly knew you: 91x has officially canceled their Aug. 2 summer mini-fest at Petco's Park at the Park.
A statement posted July 17 to the rock radio station's Facebook and Instagram pages reads:
"Head & The Heart Fans, if you were looking forward to seeing the Head & The Heart at Sun Fiesta on August 2nd, the band will now be playing at the Observatory North Park instead. Refunds for Sun Fiesta will be processed on or before Monday, July 22nd. Tickets for the Observatory show are ON SALE NOW."
The other three bands on the Fiesta bill -- lovelytheband, SYML and Twin XL -- have yet to land elsewhere in town at this time. It's always unfortunate to see a show cancellation of any kind but for fans of 91x, the news might sting a bit more as it continues a particularly troubling trend.
The station abruptly canceled its annual summer X-Fest show in 2018 (which was to feature Beck, Death Cab for Cutie and others), stating: "After considerable thought and reflection, we feel we are unable to deliver the level of experience the fans expect from X-Fest." For all intents and purposes, Sun Fiesta was to act as that event's replacement.
The X-Fest dissolution followed a 2017 Wrex the Halls debacle, which saw 91x cancel one of the event's two scheduled nights two weeks in advance "due to unforseen circumstances."
Perhaps this unfortunate chain of (canceled) events is just pure bad luck. In regards to Sun Fiesta, the station replied to one disgruntled Instagram commenter with "certain things happened that were totally out of our control." If that's the case, you hate to see it and we sure hope their luck turns around.
But it all recalls the saying, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," and begs the question: At this point, has 91x eroded the public's trust in its events too much?
Dustin Lothspeich is SoundDiego's senior associate editor, a San Diego Music Award-winning musician, and talent buyer at The Merrow. Follow his updates on Twitter or contact him directly.
