It sounded too good to be true, and it is.
Over the past weekend, flyers promoting a free concert featuring the Dave Matthews Band, Michael Franti and Slightly Stoopid circulated widely around Missoula. The concert, which allegedly was slated for May 1, was also promoted via Twitter, a Web site, and text messages.
But according to multiple sources, it was all an elaborate hoax.
“I know I haven’t been contacted, so this seems bogus to me,” said Missoula Mayor John Engen, who — along with Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer — was listed on the flyers as a speaker at the event. “In my experience, that which is too good to be true usually is.”
Paul Freundlich, president of Paul Freundlich Associates, which handles public relations for Michael Franti, said in an email that there is “nothing to this report” of a free concert by Franti in Missoula. Patrick Jordan of Red Light Management, which handles the Dave Matthews Band, also confirmed that the announcement was a hoax.
A press release for the concert, emailed late Friday night to the Missoulian and other local media, said that the event was being organized by Macy’s and Smurfit-Stone, two longtime Missoula businesses which closed in recent months, in order to “thank the city of Missoula for its many years of hard work and dedication to our enterprises.” The press release further stated that the concert would take place “in the Macy’s building on Front Street,” and that it would include “door prizes, food, games, live music and a $5,000 cash drop.”
The press release included contact information for an alleged Macy’s representative named Edwin Rose. Calls and emails to Rose were not returned.
Sgt. Richard Stepper of the Missoula Police Department said that no one in his force had been approached about the concert, which — if it were to take place in the streets of downtown Missoula — would have required a permit for street closures. Todd Frank, a board member of the Missoula Downtown Association, also said his organization had not been approached about the concert. The MDA produces Missoula’s River City Roots Festival every summer.
Bob Johnson, local president of the Steelworker’s Union, which represents Smurfit-Stone employees in Missoula, said the union wasn’t notified of the concert either. He said the union is still negotiating with Smurfit-Stone over some elements of the severance package for its members, and said it was therefore unlikely that the company would throw a party for its former employees at this juncture.
None of the artists in question list the appearance in their upcoming tour itineraries. A photograph of the Dave Matthews band featured on the event’s Web site was out of date and included a deceased member of the band.
According to sources in the community, glossy flyers promoting the concert were distributed at numerous locations around Missoula on Friday and Saturday, including the University of Montana, the parking lot of Costco, and outside the Wilma Theatre.
“It takes some energy to get that done, and that’s what amazes me,” noted Mayor Engen.
While a motive for the ruse was not evident as of press time, its end result may not be entirely harmless, said Tom Webster, manager of the University Theatre and a longtime concert promoter in Missoula.
“If management from any of those bands saw that, it would likely bring up red flags about bringing those artists to Missoula,” said Webster.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Jim Lang // Mar 21, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Of course the most interesting question is the motive… why would someone spend all this money to promote such a lame, unlikely, and easily exposed hoax?
But to anyone who is familiar with the level of discourse in this community, the dots don’t seem hard to connect. Some right-wing nut or group of nuts th0ught it would be funny to exploit the suffering of these newly unemployed workers by making some incomprehensible joke at the expense of the ‘Missoula hippies’ who like Michael Franti, Dave Matthews and Slightly Stoopid.
Frankly it is a disillusioning comment on our society. And I am again proved wrong in my belief that I cannot become more cynical
2 Jim Lang // Mar 21, 2010 at 8:17 pm
PS, will the Missoulian find out who is behind this?
I have a job doing other stuff but hopefully someone has a job investigating questions like this.
3 Nathan Stephens // Mar 21, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Franti has been here numerous times, he might get a kick out of something like this, but Dave Matthews hasn’t ever been here and I can’t image his management was thrilled with being bombarded with media requests about the validity of the hoax.
I don’t know if it’s illegal to do something like this hoax, but I hope there is some kind of justice. At the very least I sure would like to know this Edwin Rose’s motivation.
4 Kim // Mar 21, 2010 at 9:32 pm
I’ll admit it. I calle d the number, I believed/hoped it wa true! I love Franti, and DMB too, so I am following this blog and the comments over on the Trail radio station site pretty closely. So first off, thanks Missoulian for looking into it.
Second, to Nathan: the bands listed are all socially conscious and might just think, hey that would be a great move for these corporations that just laid off almost 500 families. And BTW that’s why they have a media department, to handle….umm….media.
Third, to Jim: why assume this hoax is to “exploit the suffering of these newly unemployed workers”? Maybe it was the ‘Missoula hippies’ to whom you referred behind this, wagging a finger at the corporations (with the new regulations, lets call them Mr. Smurfit-stone and Ms. Macys) and asking for accountability to the affected families. I’ll be watching and hope that the real motive is revealed soon. Don’t slide down that slippery slope of cynicism yet.
5 Jim Lang // Mar 22, 2010 at 10:16 am
Well, who was this botched joke meant to be played on? The people who would want to see those bands. As in, hippies like me. The newly laid off workers in this case simply being used as pawns. (Of course, in the mind of the right wing nutcases, those layoffs are the fault of ‘liberals’.) And then throw in a couple of Democratic politicians that right-wingers hate for their popularity.
I could be wrong – it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Hopefully we will find out.
6 Jon Bass // Mar 22, 2010 at 11:06 am
The notion that “right wingers” pulled this off is probably one of the most laughable, poorly-considered hypotheses I’ve ever seen. Seems much more like a “culture jamming” thing from the anti-consumerist left to me.
7 Jim Lang // Mar 22, 2010 at 11:43 am
Mr. Bass…. who do you think was the target of the hoax? Who was it that was supposed to be ‘pranked’?
8 morgan // Mar 22, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Damn it. I was so stoked. I got up on stage with Franti at his concert in September and I was hoping to do it again
9 Jim Lang // Mar 23, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Mr. Bass, it looks like you were right. It just shows there are idiots of every political persuasion, I guess.
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