How Rock in Rio, ACM Party for a Cause slipped into uncertainty

By John Katsilometes

Thursday, June 9, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Those who have staged big festivals at Las Vegas Festival Grounds are certainly a worldly bunch. Some have just been kicking it up in Lisbon and are back in Rio. Another is in Alaska — and has left the organization that just last month brought a three-day spectacle to the Strip.

And another city factoring into the future of festivals in Las Vegas happens to be our unofficial sister city … Nashville.

First we address the happily nomadic crew from Rock in Rio, which staged its event in Lisbon from May 19-20 and again May 27-30. Its robust lineup of headliners included Bruce Springsteen, Queen with Adam Lambert, Hollywood Vampires, Maroon 5 and Avicii. The turnout for that festival is traditionally 350,000, and there is no reason to think official numbers this year won't at least meet that mark.

But here in Las Vegas, officials are eagerly awaiting word from Rock in Rio officials about their commitment for the 2017 Rock in Rio USA event that is purportedly returning to Festival Grounds. There has yet to be a date announced, no acts have been specified, no news release directing the media to save the dates for the event, at all (and this whole festival conundrum was the topic of conversation when I appeared with Dayna Roselli on KNTV’s Action News at Midday).

To compare, the 2015 Rock in Rio USA festival — held in May — was announced in March 2014.

So it’s a bit disquieting to know that our friends at Rock in Rio have yet to give a firm “go” to next year’s festival on the Strip. This issue might well be resolved this week, when MGM Resorts Senior Vice President of Entertainment Development Chris Baldizan meets with Rock in Rio reps during the CMA Fest, which opened Wednesday in Nashville.

Should Rock in Rio return, it could well take a new format, possibly scaled to a single weekend rather than splitting into two tent-post events of rock and pop. Also, MGM Resorts officials — expressly Baldizan — might well take on a larger responsibility in booking acts and organizing the operations. The event simply has to cut costs and boost ticket profits if it is to have any success in Las Vegas, and last year's disappointing attendance (which was about 140,000 over the four nights when the initial pre-event goal was 328,000) has jeopardized the very future of Rock in Rio on the Strip.

The most effective way to trim costs would be to pay less for artists (or pay for fewer artists), cut the dates, be more frugal about staging and scale back the scope. The Rock in Rio footprint of a giant theme park with its three Rock Streets, Ferris wheel, zip line and multimillion-dollar VIP tent might need to be reviewed.

But first, Rock in Rio needs to say more than “we plan to be back,” which has been the message since the day the event ended in May 2015. Let’s put some tickets up for pre-sale, hold a news conference, or at least make a definitive announcement that the show will indeed return to the Strip.

Unexpectedly, the only other festival to be staged at Festival Grounds, ACM Party for a Cause, also is sorting out its future in Las Vegas. The outdoor festival is a complement event to the ACM Awards, held this year at MGM Grand Garden Arena and moving to T-Mobile Arena in 2017.

Expected to return on that parcel next year, the three-day Party for a Cause instead is figuring out its future after the surprising departure of longtime ACM CEO Bob Romeo last month. In his departure, an ACM Board of Directors meeting is set for June 21 at the company’s headquarters in Encino, Calif., during which the future of Party for a Cause is to be addressed.

The announcement of Romeo’s departure, issued May 13 and effective that day, slipped past even some MGM Resorts officials. Romeo had been one of the most powerful proponents of Las Vegas’ capacity to host such events as ACM Party for a Cause, which drew a respectable 54,000-plus over three events in April 1-3.

Reached via text last week, Romeo said only that he would be in Alaska through the end of this week and to check back later as to explain what led to his unexpected ouster. But his vacancy coincides with uncertainty about the event’s future in Las Vegas.

At this moment, the 50-acre swath of land to be the home of festivals and events of all ilk — there has even been talk of rugby and soccer out there — has no event scheduled. Nothing. And its future is being decided in Rio, Nashville and a board room in Encino.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow Kats on Instagram at Instagram.com/JohnnyKats1.