Gospel concert put off as Grammy Award-winning acts cancel over late payment
New date to be announced for Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine show
Published:Monday | December 12, 2022 | 5:32 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
Transparency was the name of the game last Friday as the organisers of a highly anticipated gospel concert, featuring Maverick City’s Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine, explained that the late payment of fees was the reason why the headliners cancelled their trip to Jamaica.
Last Friday afternoon, the organisers Kingdom Culture, made the announcement via a press release and also a post on social media, which stated, “We regret to inform you that The Well Encounter scheduled for Saturday, December 10 at the National Arena has been postponed due to artiste cancellation. The new date for The Well Encounter will be announced as soon as suitable arrangements have been made.”
At a press briefing at the Courtleigh Hotel that evening, conceptualiser Ingrid Larmond explained that her entity missed the extended deadline for the full payment of the fees for Moore and Raine by four hours. Their booking agents, with whom she has been in dialogue, subsequently cancelled. The original deadline was Monday, December 5.
“As to why they [Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine] cancelled is, we, Kingdom Culture, were unable to make the final balance of their performance fee at the specified time,” Larmond told sponsors and media who attended the press conference.
A detailed explanation was given in a social media post which outlined that “Kingdom Culture was unable to meet the stipulated deadline for final payment, which was by the extended deadline 12 noon on Thursday, December 8, 2022. Full payment was subsequently sent to both parties at 4:30 p.m. on December 8, 2022. However, the organisers were informed that the acts would have to cancel. They have agreed to reschedule for a future date and we are working closely with the booking agents to have this new date publicised in the shortest time possible.”
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
Larmond assured the gathering that the headliners are looking forward to performing in Jamaica and that her team will ramp up the marketing of the event. “In the meantime, we will continue to build the confidence of our people that they will be here. I am appealing to you guys not to lose your excitement. They are looking forward to coming to Jamaica. It’s not if, it’s when,” Larmond said.
She stressed that all tickets are valid for the new date; however, refunds will be made available upon request. The message, however, was, “We encourage you to keep your tickets for the new date to be scheduled shortly. For persons who have purchased presold tickets at authorised outlets, we advise patrons to retain these tickets for future use. Tickets purchased online will still be valid once receipts and online confirmations are maintained.”
Wendell Lawrence, a member of the organising team and the managing director of the ticketing company, SpurrOpen, was on hand to explain why refunds would be made at 90 per cent rather than the full amount.
“Every ticket that is sold has what is called a cost of sale. That cost is usually in the region of 10 to 15 per cent of whatever the cost of the ticket is and so we would have already worked out whatever we needed to work out to ensure that that cost is managed. Then, there is another cost involved if we need to reverse the movement of the money,” Lawrence said.
Fans of Grammy Award-winning gospel singers, Moore and Raine, are sorely disappointed over the show’s postponement and while many have expressed their appreciation about the organiser’s honesty, others are questioning why the notice was so short.
“I want to apologise for the short notice. However, this was just relayed to us at 6:03 p.m. yesterday [Thursday], so we went into action mode preparing how we could tell it to our audience,” Larmond stated.
The Well Encounter’ concert, originally advertised for the National Stadium, featured Raine and Moore, as well as Kevin Downswell, Minister Carlene Davis, Rondell Positive, and Rhoda Isabella gracing the stage at National Arena in St Andrew. Tickets for the bleachers, the organisers reported, were sold out and the same was expected for grandstand.
In announcing a last-minute change of venue, it was stated that “all ticketholders: Ultra-VIP, VIP, grandstand and bleachers can expect the same amazing experience, with secured parking and intimate worship, indoors. Ultra-VIP and VIP ticketholders will still have exclusive access to parking, food and beverage services.”
Inspired by the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, the event, which is spearheaded by Kingdom Culture, a conglomerate of revolutionary Christian creatives, entrepreneurs, and visionaries, aims to unite unbelievers and believers from all walks of life and denominations for one epic night of true repentance and worship.
Organisers pledge that the new date will be announced as soon as the discussions have been had with the various stakeholders.