FIVE YEARS

Memorial Day Has Never Been The Same

It was the morning of Memorial Day 2012, “Kirk, could you bring your grill in your truck, along with some ice for the kegs?” “Sure thing Pete, not a problem.” Nothing ever was for Kirk, he was always down for a good time, good beer and baseball to boot? He was in every year. My friend, Stevie D, world famous trombonist and my former professor had been organizing this Memorial Day pickup baseball game at Elizabeth Park in Hartford for over a decade; students, alumni and the general public would come together for a pickup baseball game. I guess because I have a knack for connecting people, tend to try and do things to the fullest, and for whatever reason had saved all of my brother’s and my own middle school/high school baseball gear(I’m talking full catchers outfit, bats galore and a plethora of gloves) had picked up the torch as the yearly organizer. Of course I raised the bar and was now bringing 2 to 3 pony kegs of beer, coolers of food to grill, and trying to get enough people out to fully field two teams so that we could really play a game. While it was a lot of work, I loved it. I remember one year my mom being in town to visit from Oregon and she was shaking her head, wondering why I was putting so much energy and money into the food and drinks, trying to bring everyone together and her saying well I hope they all appreciate what you are doing for them, they did, I was sure of it. 2015 was the last year I was a part of it, back in town from a 3 year stint performing on cruise ships, Tania was on her first visit with me to the states, I had to make it happen and indeed we did, I was so thankful she got to experience a sliver of it and that I got to hit a few bombs and throw the ball around one last time. Summer of ‘16 we were in Richmond and have been here since.

2020-2021 I had been planning a series of outdoor, distanced shows at Main Line Brewery. Covid restrictions were still lingering and some people still had some reservations about gathering in groups for fear of a super spreader event, things still weren’t the same. Memorial Day in ‘21 I had a show booked with Fear of Music and was hoping to turn it into an all day affair, in a way rekindle some of that Hartford Memorial Day magic I missed so much. The idea wasn’t received by the people involved so I shelved it without disagreement as I was thankful to be putting on a second show with this fantastic band, we had done one in the fall of 2020 at Brambly Park and it was a hit, so the Memorial Day party would have to wait another year. That winter I ran into my friend Zavi outside of The Jungle Room, we had both been organizing and promoting shows at Poor Boys(the old Bogarts/Balliceaux building) for our respective companies Baripete Productions and PRSMCAT Presents before the pandemic started and I hadn’t really seen him since. We were reconnecting throwing around potential venue spots with Mike Truxton when I brought up the idea of working on a big event together, he was into it and the seed for Daydream was planted. I renewed the convo with Zavi after the fact and brought up Memorial Day and Main Line Brewery, he was sold on it. I don’t remember for sure who thought of the name Daydream, but it was a perfect fit and we came up with that first lineup very easily, both agreeing that if we could get Palm Palm and Butcher Brown it would be a hit. We were definitely correct on that assumption and the weather cooperated, more than a thousand Richmonders turned out for an incredible day of music and fun.

In 2023 the thought was that we have to do something bigger, why not do two days? Keep in mind we put this event on ourselves without any financial backing, and neither of us had any experience in looking for sponsors or investors. I was coming off a great run starting with the end of lockdown and Brambly Park opening, Baripete Productions becoming a staple in the Richmond music scene, and a host of successful events of all sorts so I didn’t hesitate, I will back this 2 day operation, I have some savings, let’s go! We put together an incredible two day lineup and were rolling with promotion and organic momentum, I felt great about everything but sales were a little slower than the first year. We had slightly raised prices to account for a bigger talent spend but I didn’t think that was making people hesitate on buying tickets. While doing a quick photo shoot for an upcoming promo article the photographer asked me what we would do if it rained, the weather report wasn’t looking great. I laughed and said well the show will go on unless it’s unsafe to do it, he mentioned that he had seen bad weather ruin a music festival and saw the organizers lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. I didn’t know what else to say other than I would be praying for good weather. Day 1 was full of rain and Day 2 full of lightning, advance ticket sales were not where we needed them to be and obviously door purchases with bad weather were not going to pop so I cut out what extra costs I could, spent a considerable amount of money on tarps and easy ups and took it on the chin. I still look at it as a success because in spite of the bad weather we were able to fulfill both days, with only one act getting cut short because of lightning. Everyone that came had an incredible time, making the best of the rain and drizzle while making me not want to throw in the towel. The photos and performances from both days were incredibly magical and I still smile when I think of how proud I was at the end of those two days, that the team of people I put together made everything happen in spite of the obstacles.

Year 3 was on the horizon, I wasn’t sure how to approach trying to apply what I learned in ‘23 but I knew we needed to try and find some sponsors so I wouldn’t be absorbing all the risks myself and that I needed to try and recoup some of my losses before any potential profit could be realized. At our initial meeting something I hadn’t considered happened, Zavi was tapping out. There were a number of things at play but the biggest was that his marketing job was demanding too much of his time and any extra time he wanted to devote to his band, Spooky Cool. I think he also felt bad seeing me absorb such heavy losses the year before and knew he wouldn’t be able to put any funds up towards the event so the easiest answer was to give me the reigns. I ran with it and didn’t look back. I was a little nervous about losing Zavi’s reach with the Richmond community and his followers on top of not having his marketing ideas on the table. However, I was also excited about having full control over everything. The only big concern was that he had converted his PRSMCAT IG page into the Daydream account and would be wanting it back after year 3 concluded, I was relieved to not have to start from scratch and thought I would cross that bridge when I reached it. I had really wanted to get Illiterate Light for year 1 but they weren’t available so I set my sights on locking in both Illiterate Light and Butcher Brown as my headliners. The rest of the lineup came together easily and I thought for sure this would be an easy layup. On top of this I locked in my first financial sponsor, Walton Select as well as a top notch production company Hit Play to provide the sound system. As the rollout progressed I noticed a lack-luster response in ticket sales, social media reach was constantly changing, my posts and stories hadn’t been performing the same, and it seemed harder to be on the same page with the artists about posting and announcements. I took the financial sponsor dollars and put them into some paid advertising, something I had never done and prayed that if I did everything possible the advance tickets would sell and I would hit my targets for the headliner deposits. Advance ticket sales are so important to not only insulate the event in case of a bad forecast but also to help the promoter be able to pay any talent deposits. I was forced to get creative and leverage other means to get $ together and make everything happen. We had another shit forecast and week of sales slowed, with tornado warnings the morning of the show and rain before doors opened. The weather cleared and we ended up with an absolutely beautiful day, incredible performances, decent turnout and on top of all this Anderson Paak was in attendance, our first national celebrity in attendance.

I did not come close to hitting my targets to break even for the day but compared to the previous year’s losses it didn’t seem that bad. Luckily everyone on the production team was a friend and they afforded me the luxury of paying them in installments over the rest of the year. I worked my ass off all summer and ended up paying everyone back by the end of the fall. The city was buzzing about the fact that Paak made an appearance and partied with us. News outlets wanted to know how it happened, what could make someone like him pop up at a small independent festival that they had never heard of. In spite of the losses I was hungry for Year 4 and hopeful I could take all this momentum and celebrate a win in ‘25. Winter was very tough, I didn’t have my usual savings cushion for the slow season as everything had gone to paying people back and I was looking at an empty calendar heading into January. For the first time since before Covid I was going to be forced to take a labor job, work for someone else to pay my bills. I didn’t have to look that hard, I am a very hard and devoted worker, I lined up winter work while establishing some new contacts and friends. If anything it made me appreciate everything I have worked for and built even more. Year 4 of Daydream was not as aggressive, I didn’t want to be on the hook for a huge spend and was hopeful the momentum from the year before would carry. Advance sales for other spring events were very low, and in talking with some other promoters I realized it was a problem across the board, people were not buying tickets in advance as often. The economy was absolute shit, inflation going crazy and a lot of people were and are feeling very bleak about everything with the current administration. It is disheartening but at the same time makes me feel like what I do is more important than ever, to offer people an escape, something to be excited about and proud of. The forecasts were all over the place but in the end Daydream ‘25 got the best weather to date, not too hot, no rain, comfortable climates with mixed sun and clouds. I wish I could say I lined up massive sponsors to cover my behind but that did not happen and I still took some losses, but they were tiny in comparison to the previous two years and I was fortunate enough to be working again with understanding people. HIT PLAY was very flexible and lined up an appropriate soundsystem and KAPOK Productions donated our first video wall, Walton Select came through with a big financial contribution and The Auricular became involved for the first time. The day was filled with memorable moments and performances with the great Nigel Hall blessing the stage twice, a few songs with the R4ND4ZZO BIG B4ND and a whole set with DJ Harrison to close out the night.

Maybe I lost you, this is a long read, but Year 5 is upon us. To do something huge like this more than once is quite a feat, but to hit 5 years running is something I will hang my hat on forever. I will be 44 in March, a lot of people my age own a house, have kids, and maybe even are lucky enough to be financially stable and successful. While I can’t check all those boxes, I pursued my passions, have my own company and love what I do. I have people in my life that love and encourage me, I RUN AN INDEPENDENT FREAKING MUSIC FESTIVAL and have a whole city of people that support and look forward to all the things I do. I think 18 year old Pete, fresh out of High School in Massachusetts would be amazed. In fact today(Thursday 1/15) is the last day for $20 Tier 1 Blind Faith tickets, tomorrow they will increase to $25 for the rest of the month. Artist rollout will begin in February with prices increasing as May 25th gets closer. If you have already bought your ticket for ‘26, thank you, if you haven’t, please consider supporting this incredible event that I have been building, advanced support really means everything. I have a wonderful slate of music lined up with 10 incredible acts that make Richmond, Richmond. People have asked me “Why do you have to do it on actual Memorial Day, it’s a Monday, some people have to work the next day, why not Sunday or Friday or Saturday.” “I have to work………I need to visit family……….I go to DellFest that weekend…..what about Roosterwalk………did you hear who is playing the Amphitheater that day, you should change days.” Daydream Fest is on Memorial Day, and now you know why. If you haven’t already, I hope you will make it your tradition to come every year, it is definitely mine, I wouldn’t miss it, just saying.