Tens of people attended the Buddy Holly tribute concert by John Mueller & The Reminiscing Band on Sept. 13 at the Fiestas del Llano celebration, then wondered aloud why the show flopped.

A better question is whether the Crossroads festival can survive. Because far too much money was spent on far too little entertainment this year, and a continued frustration with or fear of – take your pick – Buddy Holly’s widow, Maria Elena, will find the festival date moved so that it never again can be mistaken for a Holly tribute.

If renaming the event the Crossroads Music Festival was intended to kill the Buddy Holly Music Festival, moving it to a different month will remove all doubts, slam a stake in the Holly festival’s corpse and assure that it never can be reborn.

Only mourned.

Mind you, I owe an explanation for my published comments about Berry’s concert. I saw the beginning of the show, then walked down a side street for about 10 minutes so that I could call in a story revision for another edition of The Avalanche-Journal. Bad timing. I did not witness any of Berry’s sniping at the crowd about videotaping or photography, nor his threats to leave the stage.

Berry’s reputation preceded him

I returned, watched the rest of the show from the side of the stage and, well, it was pretty much what I’d expected from Berry at age 73. He’s always been cocky, demanding and often rude, although musicians here maintain that he was never insulting. He can play. Anyone who expected Berry to be Mr. Sunshine had not done his homework.

No, what is appalling is that Chuck Berry was paid $40,000. That’s eight times what he was paid in Lubbock by a different promoter in 1969. One agent booking nostalgia acts said that Berry still performs dates for $25,000. (Special routing can find salaries rise drastically.)

And those 40 gees all were given to Chuck, according to Don Caldwell, who booked festival talent for Market Lubbock Inc. The fee did not include payment for Berry’s backup band or the cost of renting and shipping Berry’s vintage Fender amplifiers of choice.

The 1999 package show including The Coasters, The Big Bopper Jr., Charlie Thomas, Chris Montez and Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon cost $30,000.

Festival had $140,000 price tag

David Sharp, chief executive officer of Market Lubbock, told me that the budget for the 2000 Crossroads Music Festival was approximately $140,000.

Local acts, a cover band … and Berry. Not much bang for so many bucks.

Yes, a Berry concert could have been special – that always depends on the man’s mood – but does it constitute a festival? Perhaps organizers should have labeled this year’s event a Crossroads Music Concert and left it at that.

Allowing music fans to check out Depot District acts, provided they buy a football game ticket in advance, did not make this event any more festive.

Still, as Market Lubbock Inc. was the official financier of the annual event, utilizing hotel-motel tax funds, it has to accept the brunt of the blame for the event stagnating rather than growing.

And considering fumbles and uncorrected mistakes – an Everly Brothers concert advertised but never contracted last year, a free post-football game concert announced but never contracted this year – either Market Lubbock needs to consider getting out of the festival business or chairman Sharp must take a firm hands-on approach and also take the time to research firms and individuals with festival experience.

Next year finds Holly’s 65th birthday arriving on a Friday. What an opportunity! Yet it seems destined to be ignored. The 13th annual National Cowboy Symposium & Celebration already has dibs on that weekend.

The Crossroads Music Festival now is gearing for Memorial Day weekend in 2001 and a probable move to October in 2002. Without the Buddy Holly Music Festival name value, tourism already has been minimized in early September.

Color those dollars lost.

Mueller smiled and said backstage, “I saw they booked Chuck Berry. Man, they could have booked us four times for what he got.”

Then again, Caldwell mentioned that organizers of the Crossroads fest cannot book Mueller without expecting Maria Elena Holly to raise a stink and demand her cut because her late husband’s likeness again is being used.” I tend to believe him.

By WILLIAM KERNS
A-J Entertainment Editor

The Buddy Holly Statue in Lubbock | Charlie Stout

It was about 30 minutes into John Mueller’s first set of Buddy Holly tunes Wednesday when the entertainer briefly paused and said, ”OK, dinner time’s over. So the rest of Lubbock is gonna show up now, right?”

Sorry. Evidently not.

Nevertheless, close to 100 rock ‘n’ roll fans seated in front of the stage on the opening night of Fiestas del Llano still had a terrific time as Mueller, his aptly named Reminiscing Band and a few special guests brought the ’50s back to musical life.

And unlike recent festival headliner Chuck Berry, Mueller wasn’t about to shortchange even a small audience, mentioning before the concert that he and his band planned to explore most of Holly’s repertoire.

”We know about 50 Holly songs,” said the headliner who starred in the touring musical ”Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” six years ago. ”And I expect we’ll do about 40 of his songs tonight. Each of the three sets we perform will be different.”

The physical setup for Fiestas del Llano has improved, with the concert stage now elevated so that entertainers face an audience located in the northwest lower parking area of the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.

Wednesday’s show kicked off 30 minutes late because the area had not been cleared soon enough for stage construction, according to Tom Prather, owner of The Electric Ear. ”We’re basically doing a two-day set-up in one day,” he explained.

To his credit, the stage was prepared sooner than expected and the sound quality was just right for an open air concert.

Mueller greeted the crowd at 7:35 p.m. and led his animated four-piece band into ”Looking for Someone to Love,” the small turnout soon smiling and clapping along to the opening percussion of ”Not Fade Away.”

Whether playing Holly originals or Little Richard tunes that Holly recorded, Mueller and his band played with enthusiasm.

The Big Bopper Jr., who was so good at the 1999 Crossroads Music Festival, made another fabulous guest appearance. Backed by the Reminiscing Band, he opened with a fun rendition of ”White Lightning.”

When Holly historian Bill Griggs walked on stage with a telephone, every fan knew the next words from the Bopper would be ”Hello, baby” as he launched into ”Chantilly Lace.”

The evening’s other guests included Fernando Vega with a tribute to the late Richie Valens, and Holly’s niece, Sherry.

By WILLIAM KERNS
A-J Entertainment Editor

Holly was born on Sept. 7, 1936, and died at age 22 in a plane crash Feb. 3, 1959.

Had he lived, Holly would have been 64 today.

A visit to the Buddy Holly Center might be in order; the first 300 people to make a stop at the center today will receive a pair of commemorative Buddy Holly glasses.

The center, at 19th Street and Avenue G, will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.

The building’s Buddy Holly Gallery features a permanent exhibition on the life and music of Holly. Artifacts owned by the city of Lubbock, as well as other items on loan, are on display. Included in the exhibit is Holly’s Fender Stratocaster guitar, a song book used by Holly and The Crickets, and Holly’s famous horned rimmed glasses.

Call 767-2686 for more details.

Music historian Bill Griggs also will host a Holly tribute from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. today on KRFE (580-AM); the show will include music, interviews and a tape of Snuff Garrett telling Lubbock listeners on Feb. 3, 1959, about the plane crash that claimed Holly’s life.

Need a Buddy Holly music fix? Try the free concert by Colorado-based band Runaway Express at 3 p.m. today at the Buddy Holly Center’s Meadow Courtyard, 19th Street and Avenue G. After all, the show also will serve as a CD-release celebration for the band’s latest recording, titled ”Yeah Buddy.”

Holly’s birthday is Thursday, and there’s not a ton of entertainment planned that day in Lubbock. Mind you, another visit to the Buddy Holly Center might be in order; the first 300 people to make a stop at the center Thursday will receive a pair of commemorative Buddy Holly glasses. (Can’t make it? Not to worry. They’re also sold in the gift shop.)

Not enough?

Bill Griggs to the rescue. The music historian will host a Holly tribute from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on KRFE (580-AM); the show will include music, interviews and a tape of Snuff Garrett telling Lubbock listeners on Feb. 3, 1959, about the plane crash that claimed Holly’s life.

Thursday also will find Mike Pritchard’s Blue Thunder & The Lightning Horns performing a free show from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Buddy Holly Center’s Meadow Courtyard. And guitarist extraordinaire Ian Moore will headline a concert of blues-rock music at 9:30 p.m. Thursday at Liquid 2000. General admission tickets are priced at $13 in advance and $15 at the door.

That’s about it.

WWF returns to Lubbock

But hey, we’ve got rasslin’ news.

Just confirmed is an appearance by the World Wrestling Federation at 2 p.m. Nov. 5 at the United Spirit Arena. Reserved-seat tickets will be priced at $43, $33, $28 and $21.

That’s right, The Rock and the boys will make a Sunday afternoon appearance for those looking for something to do after church.

No doubt the question you’d like to ask first is, ”Why?” Allow me…

The WWF had hoped to rumble at the arena on Saturday night. However, there’s the matter of a Texas Tech vs. University of Texas football game on Nov. 4. Presently, kickoff is set for 1 p.m., but there’s a chance that the game time could be shifted to evening for television purposes.

Thus, a Sunday rasslin’ matinee.

Closer at hand, World Championship Wrestling matches will be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Lubbock Coliseum.

Weekends crowded with entertainment events are not limited to September, by the way. Glancing ahead, choices must be made in mid-October.

More entertainment conflicts

The Oct. 13-14 weekend includes ’70s Nostalgia Nite concerts at the Cactus Theater and the opening of (count ‘em) four plays: ”Dracula” at the Garza Theater in Post, the musical ”Monky Business” at the CATS Playhouse, the musical ”A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” at the Charles E. Maedgen Jr. on the Texas Tech campus, and ”The Glass Menagerie” at Lubbock Community Theatre.

Oh, there’s also the little matter of a Texas Tech vs. University of Nebraska football game at 6 p.m. Oct. 14 in Lubbock. That may attract a few folks, too.

Expand the window to Oct. 12-17 and even more big events pad the calendar.

Shifting topics, is it just me or is anyone else peeved at being forced to watch commercials at movie theaters? Kick things off with four commercials for everything from fast food chains to soft drinks, follow them with four or five trailers for upcoming attractions, and now we sit in the dark for 20 minutes before the actual movie begins.

Think you can skip the commercials? Arrive late at the theater and the odds of finding a good seat on a busy night decrease. A cinematic Catch-22.

Looking on the bright side, there’s now plenty of time to claim a seat and then go back to the lobby for popcorn.

By the way, Cinemark’s Movies 16 must have landed very late bookings for ”Highlander: Endgame” and ”Saving Grace,” because The A-J entertainment desk never was notified in advance.

They won’t be here long. But I’ve looked forward to seeing the latter only because it earned one of the funniest opening one-liners I’ve seen in a review. Film critic Chris Hewitt wrote in the Saint Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press: ”’Saving Grace’ is so fake that I didn’t even believe the actors when they were breathing.”

Ouch.

William Kerns
Entertainment Editor

What’s wrong with this picture? Didn’t this shindig used to be called the Buddy Holly Music Festival?

Mind you, Gibbons, who did stay in the loop by making calls to festival organizers on her own, chose her words carefully, saying, “I want to work more closely with the festival people in the future. I’d like to start work on next year’s planning right now.”

As I understand it, Depot District night spots also are being subsidized for their live entertainment bookings on Saturday night. The Buddy Holly Center is not, probably because the music festival joined hands with Texas Tech’s athletic department this year and the center’s live entertainment conflicts with Saturday’s Tech football game.

Still, the clubs used only a fraction of a $5,000 per venue subsidy offer.

Holly gallery celebrates birthday

No matter. The coming weekend remains a hugely important one at the Buddy Holly Center, located at 19th Street and Avenue G, if only because Friday marks its first birthday.

The city of Lubbock opened the first Buddy Holly Center on Sept. 1, 1999.

Attendance at the center in its infant year has totaled 28,000 to date. Gibbons, working with a staff of four full-time assistants and four who work part time, said that no specific demographics were charted on every visitor. However, she added, “I’d say that, of those who signed our registration book, 75 percent of visitors have been either from out of state or another country.

“There has not been one day go by in the past year that we have not been visited by people from other countries.”

The center also receives at least 50,000 hits per month at its Web site www.buddyhollycenter.org.

The fact that the Buddy Holly Center also includes a Texas Music Gallery and an extremely active visual arts gallery, said Gibbons, forces visitors “to adjust their thinking when they walk in the door.” In many ways, the center houses much more than patrons expect.

Gibbons explained, “I think Buddy Holly and the music aspect of the center brings in a lot of tourists and travelers. But our art gallery and education programs help us keep the overall Lubbock community involved on a regular basis.”

Center confirms many events

That said, there will always be some crossover. Exhibits, after all, have been booked through 2004, a couple of them being “State of Blues” in 2001 and a photography exhibit of 1960s rock life by the late Linda McCartney in 2004.

(No doubt a new slate of rumors about a Paul McCartney visit was just born.)

Anniversary events at the center include an opening reception for the art exhibit “Mid-Century Reliquary” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, a courtyard concert by Joe Carr & Alan Munde at 7 p.m. Wednesday and a concert by the Alan Shinn Jazz Quartet at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Look for recognized Holly historian Bill Griggs to lead tours of the Buddy Holly Gallery from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. Educational programs continue as Joe Nick Patoski, senior editor at Texas Monthly, and local music historian Rob Weiner discuss the work and connection of “Texas music families” from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

Friday’s concert features Ingrid Kaiter, the late Holly’s niece, and The Groobees from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the courtyard. Those attending still can catch Chuck Berry’s 10:30 p.m. appearance at the Crossroads fest.

Children and families will be lured Saturday, with the Dallas Puppet Theater performing a marionette show at both 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; a workshop follows each show. Mi Tierra del Llano will play mariachi music from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Talented local acoustic rock ‘n’ roll singer-songwriter D.G. Flewellyn will be featured from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by an anything-but-acoustic concert by Mike Pritchard’s Blue Thunder.

The Buddy Holly Center then will remain open on Sunday, Sept. 3 to host a free concert from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. by Colorado-based band Runaway Express – which, fittingly, promises to play a lot of music from its new Buddy Holly tribute CD called “Hey Buddy.”

Come to think of it, the budget may be smaller, but the Buddy Holly Center also is offering a pretty attractive festival/extended birthday party.

William Kerns
Entertainment Editor

In fact, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, made a special point of visiting the grave of the late Lubbock rocker.

”The last time I was in Lubbock, which was a little over six months ago, we got in early enough to go out and visit Buddy Holly’s grave. I put a couple guitar picks on it,” he said.

In fact, McTeer took the visit one step further.

As part of the Dallas Fed’s 1999 annual report, McTeer said he dedicated a special paragraph at the end of the report involving his personal activities.

McTeer paid homage to three people at Tuesday’s luncheon, all of whom he included in the report.

He credited Adam Smith, considered the founding father of economics, since the world’s free enterprise system works so well today and the reason the economy, in general, is ”so wonderful.”

”Sam Houston has Texas tradition covered … and Buddy Holly has all of the rest of it covered,” McTeer said.

Mr. Holly and Mr. Berry were contemporaries. The rockers toured together in 1957 and 1958. When Mr. Holly died in a plane crash while touring in 1959, many said it was the day the music died. But Mr. Berry has kept the rock ‘n’ roll style of music alive for more than 40 years.

The 73-year-old musician, who was inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame on Jan. 23, 1986, has had many hit songs through the years, including “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man.” Mr. Holly later re-recorded Mr. Berry’s early hit and took it to the charts a second time.

It is fitting that Mr. Berry would return to Mr. Holly’s hometown to celebrate the rock ‘n’ roll style of music they both loved. He is scheduled to headline an evening concert on Sept. 1 on an outdoor stage on Buddy Holly Avenue near 17th Street in the historic Depot District. Admission is free.

It is sad that the festival cannot use Buddy Holly’s name, but we are pleased that Lubbock continues to honor the memory of this pioneer musician by bringing top-quality rockers like Mr. Berry to the Crossroads Music Festival.

Connie Gibbons, director of the Buddy Holly Center, stops near an interactive section of the center's Buddy Holly Gallery. A-J Photo/Chase Perry

That said, even having earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in photography and painting, Gibbons long ago stored her cameras, canvas and paints, choosing instead to share art with the community as a gallery director.

The irony: For years, she labored as director of the Lubbock Fine Arts Center, a rather nondescript building at 26th Street and Avenue P. Few outside the art community realized it was even there. Now she is the director of the Buddy Holly Center, a beautiful facility at 19th Street and Avenue G.

And few outside the art community realize that the Holly Center also houses a large fine arts gallery.

“That’s one of the bigger tasks we have before us,” said Gibbons, “to educate the public about specifically what we offer. We still get a lot of phone calls, and I talk to a lot of people out in public who don’t know there’s an arts gallery here.”

Gibbons, a Phoenix, Ariz., native, did her undergraduate studies at Drury College in Springfield, Mo. Texas Tech’s graduate art program attracted her and she moved to Lubbock in 1984, completing her master’s work in 1987.

Connie Gibbons, former director of the Lubbock Fine Arts Center, works with both musicians and visual artists as director fo the Buddy Holly Center.

Eventually, I planned to move to a teaching position in a university setting and continue to produce (art).” She began working at the Lubbock Fine Arts Center part-time in October 1984.

“I guess I grew into it,” she said.

When she graduated, a full-time position at the center was available. She jumped at it, viewing it as an opportunity to test herself. In 1988, she followed Karen Wiley as the center’s director.

“I had two goals when I took it over,” Gibbons said. “I wanted to build a credible program that would be recognized in the region. And I told myself that, in dealing with artists, I would always treat them the way that I wanted to be treated as an artist. The Fine Arts Center really was in its infancy then. There was a lot I could do.

“So we began recruiting artists from the community as built-in supporters. And one of the first things I started doing aggressively was fund-raising. Up until that time, we would approach artists and tell them we had a space for them. But artists basically underwrote their own costs.”

She concluded, “We started writing grants and raising money so that we could pay professional fees, support our programs nationally, put together exhibits by artists from all over the region, and also take local artists and put them on the road. We wanted people to know about Lubbock.”

But exposure was not at the level she desired.

There was limited appeal, she said, “because of the perception of safety concerns. Some people did not feel safe in that area.” In addition, her programs soon outgrew the building. Gibbons expressed a need for more storage space, more gallery space and more office space.

Connie Gibbons hopes to give the Fine Arts Gallery inside the Buddy Holly Center more exposure. Here, she stands next to a display exhibit of glass artwork by Bill Bagley.

Thus the search for a new building began in 1990. Possibilities were found. Feasibility studies were commissioned. But the necessary funding never could be found Ð until 1997, when Ronnie Thompson closed the Depot Restaurant at 19th Street and Avenue G and approached the city about purchasing his building as a home for its Buddy Holly memorabilia.

“The City Council had put together a Culture & Arts Commission headed by David Langston,” said Gibbons. “They recommended that the City Council purchase and renovate the building. From the beginning, the discussion was a need for the fine arts here, that this space could house both the Holly program and the city’s visual arts program.”

That meant that Gibbons also would have to expand her own repertoire. As she put it, “I knew who Buddy Holly was but, by the time we opened, I had learned a lot more about Buddy Holly and 1950s music as a whole.

“It’s been a challenge, which of course is a good thing, because the music community works differently than the art community. Artists work alone in their studios; their work is an internal process for them. Musicians often work in a collaborative process and then perform for an audience for feedback. So there are differences in production and presentation.”

Even so, she feels that appreciation for fine art continues to grow in Lubbock.

“It’s getting better,” Gibbons said. “One of the most gratifying things for me is seeing people walk through the Buddy Holly Center and they’re just stunned. They tell me they had no idea there was an art gallery here, or that we had such an incredible space.”

Mind you, none of Gibbons’ works are on the walls, and she’s OK with that. She does not allow jealousy to take root when she works with other artists because, she said, “It’s not productive.

“I’ve watched people in this profession, people who are trained as artists who get into arts management. And many of them are miserable. They beat themselves up because they’re not still in a studio producing their own work. I told myself that I would not live my life regretting not making art. I was going to give this job 200 percent.

“And I told myself that I could accomplish just as much doing this, to my satisfaction anyway. I think I have.”

Indeed, she says she is where she wants to be.

“I look back on my original goals, and I can’t imagine teaching at a university now,” Gibbons said . “What I do now allows me to be creative. I get to work with a lot of artists and musicians. I connect with professionals in the world of museums and art centers. It’s all very rewarding.”

And, she noted, there will always be time to pick up those sketch books again later.

By WILLIAM KERNS
A-J Entertainment Editor

Holley’s real name was misspelled Holly on his first recording contract and the artist opted to continue to drop a vowel.

Also dying in the crash were musicians Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. Both had performed with Holly that same night in a Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.

The city of Lubbock traditionally holds a celebratory music festival near Holly’s birth date (Sept. 7) each year, with little recognition of the day he died which also was referred to by singer-songwriter Don McLean in his hit “American Pie” as “the day the music died.”

However, today the Buddy Holly Center, which opened in 1999 at 1801 Ave. G, will remain open until 8 p.m. in observance of the anniversary of Holly’s death.

The center features a permanent exhibit on the life and music of Holly. The display includes the musician’s Fender Stratocaster guitar, clothing, photographs, recordings and Holly’s now famous horn-rimmed glasses.

Today the center will allow each visitor buying a $3 ticket to bring along one friend at no additional charge.

Also, rock ‘n’ roll historian Bill Griggs will air his own tribute, featuring music from Holly’s era, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. today on KDAV-Radio (1590-AM).

Considered a major musical influence, Holly initially played country music with boyhood friend Bob Montgomery in Lubbock, drifting toward rhythm ‘n’ blues after catching a local concert by Elvis Presley. He would not find success, however, until he and band members called The Crickets recorded at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, N.M.

Their first hit was “That’ll Be the Day” in May 1957.

Holly recorded under his own name and that of the group. For example, “That’ll be the Day” was credited to The Crickets and “Peggy Sue” solely to Holly.

In 1958 he attempted a solo career, marrying the former Maria Elena Santiago and relocating to New York. He continued to record hits, including “Early in the Morning” in July 1958 and “Heartbeat” in November 1958.

His song “I Guess it Doesn’t Matter Anymore” climbed to the top of England’s music charts shortly after his death.

Holly is buried in City of Lubbock Cemetery.

His career lasted only 18 months. The film “The Buddy Holly Story” was released in 1978 and earned actor Gary Busey an Academy Award nomination. A life-size bronze statue of Buddy Holly was unveiled in 1979 near the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.

Thus far, 45 artists, including Holly, have been memorialized in the West Texas Walk of Fame that surrounds the statue.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is in the beginning stages of creating a Buddy Holly archive at the Internet Web site www.lubbockonline.com; those visiting the Web site today can turn to a link called lubbockmusic.com/buddyholly and read The Avalanche-Journal’s original reporting of the fatal plane crash.

By WILLIAM KERNS
A-J Entertainment Editor

”This is the last booth on the street where you can buy a corn dog. They’re out everywhere else,” Jill told me.

Food vendors running out of food. Talk about underestimating the number of people desiring an evening of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll performed by The Coasters, The Big Bopper Jr., Charlie Thomas, Chris Montez, Freddy ”Boom Boom” Cannon, Virgil Johnson and Rockin Robin.

According to Linda Fort, director of the Lubbock Convention & Visitors Bureau, fans dropping by a visitor’s booth stuck pins in a world map, indicating representation from 28 countries and 31 states. Anonymous pins won’t be confused with actual research.

On the other hand, Fort also mentioned that she had been told that available hotel rooms were non-existent that weekend and many visitors waited more than an hour for cabs to transport them from hotels to the Depot District.

If so, the city emerged a winner.

Maria Holly no longer involved

Considering the legal squabbles that preceded the festival, it’s no wonder that the Convention & Visitors Bureau staff celebrated. Indeed, with the possible exception of visiting entertainer Carl Edward Gardner Jr., who was arrested on Sept. 5, the only ones sharing a sad countenance probably are Maria Elena Holly, the late Buddy Holly’s widow, and fans hoping that Holly’s name would again be used as a festival foundation.

That’s not going to happen, said Fort.

You’ll recall that Maria Elena Holly turned down the City of Lubbock’s offer of $50,000 and 15 percent of vendor sales in return for the right to call this event the Buddy Holly Music Festival.

A new festival was devised with a new name, taking place in the same time frame on a weekend near Holly’s Sept. 7 birthday. And without using Holly’s name, attendance increased by, oh, an estimated 300 percent.

Thus, explained Fort, there are no plans to renew negotiations with Holly’s widow in the future. The original, unwieldy 10-word name of the new festival Ð created ”during the legal confusion of what to call it,” said Fort Ð will be reduced to simply Crossroads Music Festival in 2000.

The Convention & Tourism Bureau already has contracted with the same promoter, Michael Franklin Productions in Orlando, Fla., to provide a group of ’50s era rock ‘n’ rollers for next year’s festival. It won’t be the same show, but one or two of the acts may return. Crowd favorites, Fort said, were Charlie Thomas (of The Drifters) and Freddy ”Boom Boom” Cannon.

Thousands attended concert

She added that the Lubbock Police Department indicated that 6,000 people attended the Sept. 4 concert and 10,000 attended the four-day festival as a whole. Even taking into consideration that clubs in the Depot District always do fantastic business on the weekend after Labor Day, that many were lured by other events, the fact remains that thousands enjoyed the festival.

So changes next year will be minimal, if crucial. Look for better crowd control via designated walkways and the use of bleachers. Portable toilets will be moved to a more visible area. The children’s area will be expanded. Use of a portable dance floor is a possibility.

The crowd was packed so tightly between 17th Street and 18th Street on Buddy Holly Avenue that ice could not be transported via golf carts to vendors. Instead, city personnel wound up trying to make their way through the masses while carrying bags of ice.

True, there were complaints. A couple of visitors from England said they were not even aware of the previous night’s Crickets concert until they arrived in Lubbock, and by then it was sold out.

Fort said, ”Basically there were events sponsored by three entities that weekend: The CVB, Buddy Holly Center and Cactus Theater. But the situation was that, for this year only, we had to market ourselves independently in the event that a lawsuit or an injunction was filed against any of us by Maria Holly. So no event could be piggybacked on another.

”It was frustrating, but we won’t have to deal with (legal issues) next year.”