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Photo by Ellen Mortensen
County star Trent Tomlinson performed at the Comstock Music Series Country Festival this past Friday night. Though the crowd was small, Trent jammed on stage for nearly 1 1/2 hours.
By ELLEN MORTENSEN
Chief Assistant Editor
COMSTOCK - - “There’s no question we are in a transition time.” Those were the words of Comstock Music Series General Manager Don Proskocil in regards to last weekends country music festival, and this weekend’s rock music festival.
For the past eight years music lovers have come from near and far to a pasture south of Comstock, beneath the stars and the windmills, to enjoy the music of some of the most popular bands in country and rock music. However, this year the event took a turn for the worse, when manager, promoter and owner Henry Nuxoll found himself in hot water over unpaid debts, leaving many to question the future of the beloved Comstock Music Festival.
Through a complicated series of events, Sargent area native Jim Proskocil ended up with the property and in turn inherited the festival. Jim says it was never his intention to manage the concerts, but loved it too much to just watch it die.
So in a period of about three months, Jim and his brother Don, along with other family members and friends, went to work locating bands, equipment and sponsors to host a summer music festival.
“We knew we would take some hits for it,” says General Manager Don Proskocil. “But we thought if we dropped it for this year it would create even more damage and would make our fans lose respect.”
Jim took on the responsibility of the country festival, while Don made the rock festival his pet project. Determined to stay within the budget they had set, finding musicians who were both available and affordable was a challenge. The brothers say they knew they would not be able to solicit the level of talent that fans were used to seeing in recent years at the event, “but our plan this year is just to survive,” said Jim.
The biggest controversy facing the new owners seemed to be over their decision not to honor any past ticket or camp site sales. That decision, says Jim, was made following strong advice from his attorney not to do so for fear of possible litigation from past debtors of the festival. The brothers say they knew that would be an unpopular decision, but were essentially left with no choice.
Attendance at the country festival was disappointing, even to the new owners. An estimated crowd of about 200 turned out for Friday night’s show, featuring headliner Trent Tomlinson. Though the crowd was small in number, Tomlinson played nearly 1 1/2 hours, and invited the fans to come around the fence and join him in front of the stage.
Referring to the recent chain of events, Tomlinson remarked to the audience, “I’m tired of hearing about who’s fault it is. It doesn’t matter - you guys are what matters (pointing to the crowd). And if I have to keep coming back here every year until this thing gets back on it’s feet, that’s what I will do.”
The audience met his remarks with resounding cheers, to which Tomlinson thanked them for supporting him and for supporting the event.
“I wish I had grown up in a town with a festival like this,” he said. “You guys need to cherish this.”
The Proskocil brothers say this past weekend was a learning curve, and mistakes were made along the way. Both were surprised at the number of local people who approached them saying they were unaware of the event even taking place, and realize not enough local promotion was done.
“We’re totally new at this,” says Don. “We’re learning, and just asking everyone to please be patient with us.”
While financially the low numbers were not a good thing, there was a positive side to that. Fewer people meant fewer problems. Patrol Troop D Headquarters- North Platte, issued fewer citations this year compared to previous years at the concert venue; 258 total contacts were made with motorists in 2008. That compares with 345 contacts in 2007.
This year troopers issued 45 citations for speeding compared with 134 citations last year. There were no Driving While Intoxicated citations issued in “08”, with two issued in “07”. Troopers also saw a decrease in underage drinkers. In 2007, 18 juveniles were cited for being Minors in Possession of Alcohol (MIP), this year there were no MIP citations issued.
“Attendance at this year’s event was way down,” said Troop D Commander, Captain Jim Parish. “Fewer people at the concerts meant less congestion and fewer motorists on the county roads leading to the concert site.”
Troopers did issue 14 seat belt citations and warnings as well as eight child restraint violations and warnings. According to a press release by the Nebraska State Patrol, overtime hours worked during the four-day event beginning Thursday, July 10, through Sunday, July 13, were paid for thanks in part to an $8,000.00 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety (NOHS).
Don says he understands that many people are skeptical and waiting to see whether or not the event will survive. However, the brothers are encouraged by the response they have been receiving to this weekends rock festival.
“Right now ticket sales for the rock are probably five or six times higher than they were for the country, and camp sites are even better than that,” said Don.
The rock festival gets underway tonight, with several regional bands scheduled to perform. On Friday, Tommy Tutone will take the stage at 8 p.m., followed at 10 p.m. by ‘80s rockers Great White.
Saturday will feature Missing Persons at 8 p.m., and Firehouse at 10 p.m. Rounding out the weekend on Sunday will be two legendary bands from the 70’s and 80’s - Head East at 7 p.m. and Nazareth at 9 p.m. Tickets are available at several locations throughout Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island, or at the gate.
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