‘Beyond disappointing’ versus ‘I can’t wait’: the outlook for Sand in My Boots

Passes are now on sale for Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots” Festivaland that brings us one step closer to answering a big question: Can this fledgling event gain enough new fans to overcome the loss of some Hangout regulars and a ticket price scale Has that caused any backlash?

To sum up, Hangout Party The organizers recently announced that in partnership with wall will be presenting Sand in My Boots May 16-18 in Gulf Shores. It will use the Hangout Fest site and virtually the same production team, but will have a three day schedule Curated by Wallen. Along with superstar Post Malone and country veterans Brooks & Dunn, Wallen headlines a bill that is primarily country but includes good helpings of rap (T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa, Three 6 Mafia) as well as pop and rock (The War on Drugs, 3 doors down, islands of the future).

It should come as no surprise that initial reactions from some of the Hangout faithful were negative: they are interested in the festival; They know what they want, and the dominant country, right? and they already had Hangouts-centric forums where they could voice their complaints.

Early reactions in tHangout Fest’s own Facebook page It included some enthusiasm, but disappointment dominated: “This is beyond disappointing.” “Celebrating 15 years of Hangout Fest replacing Hangout Fest”. “They just wiped out an entire festival with a single ‘artist’ announcement.” “Don’t do this to the Gulf Coast. Not after the loss of voodoo and buku.” (Referencing two New Orleans events, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, which hasn’t been held since 2019, and BUKU Music + Art Project, which went on hiatus in 2023 after hosting a 2022 edition.)

Facebook commenters on a post from AL.com about the lineup were also mostly unpleasant. “This is objectively the worst reunion show ever.” “This is the guy who openly used the hard R, right?” (A reference to a scandal in which a video emerged of Wallen using a racial epithet; Wallen has apologized several times, but for many it was a permanent turn-off.) “More like a sand festival in my swimsuit.” “I feel like I need a hepatitis B vaccine just by looking at the lineup.”

Morgan Wallen’s fans seemed quite pleased, although the positive reactions were a little more diffuse and therefore harder to track. Many immediately began to wonder if Post Malone, Wallen’s collaborator on the hit single “I Had Some Help,” would be on board. When it was confirmed yes, they were ready to reserve their condos and pack their bags.

Sample Comments Morgan Wallen’s Facebook Page after the lineup announcement: “I can’t wait.” “I’ll be there.” “Good luck getting tickets for this!” “Aligning is a dream.” “I guess we’ll go to Alabama next summer.”

Here’s a crystal ball prediction that doesn’t require much wisdom: Despite the backlash, a significant portion of the established Hangout crowd will return.

Yes, it’s obvious that a substantial portion of the Hangout Music Fest electorate, possibly a majority, doesn’t care about this programming. But let’s not forget that tens of thousands of people packed the beach to watch Sunday’s headliner, Zach Bryan, close out Hangout Fest 2024. Bryan’s relationship with his fans was impressive. It was a good moment. So that part of the 2024 crowd may find Sand in My Boots quite appealing.

Meanwhile, Wallen and Malone’s drawing power is unquestionable. Wallen attracted 31,000 people to the Mobile fairgrounds for an independent concert in autumn 2021. If you can do that in West Mobile, how can you not do it even better on the beach, with the help of Post Malone?

Anyone wondering why organizers are willing to give it a try doesn’t have to look far to find Exhibit A. It’s right down the street in Panama City Beach. Wallen headlined the most recent edition of the Gulf Coast Jam, which ran from May 30 to June 2. sold out six months in advance. Hangout hadn’t had a dunk like that in a long time.

He Gulf Coast Jam 2025 will feature Blake Shelton, Tyler Childers, Lainey Wilson and Sam Hunt atop a lineup that also includes Alabama’s Red Clay Strays. Tickets are on sale now, and GA passes are currently $209 plus a $28.58 service fee. (Prices increase as sales progress; by 2024, GA passes have increased to $339.)

Price has become another topic of criticism for Sand in My Boots. GA passes start at $399 and the fee list ($39.90 tax, $11.97 beach restoration fee, $3 charity fee) brings that figure to $453.87 total. Next up is the $899 Party Pit Pass, which comes to $1,018.87 with taxes and fees. The extra $500 doesn’t seem to add many benefits other than access to an initial viewing area. A festival map indicates that you’ll need at least the Party Pit pass to be up front on the main stage for the best acts.

Some industry outlets, including American composer, whiskey riff and Wide open countryhave reported on fans’ anger over prices. In the end it’s a free market issue, and the prices might not be as shocking as some seem to think.

Some points of comparison: For Hangout Music Fest 2024, GA passes started at $299 and went up to at least $319, while GA Plus started at $519 and VIP at $1,299. Bonnaroo prices started at $267 for the 2024 edition. Early bird prices for the 2024 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival started at $290 for the first weekend and $465 for the second weekend.

Entertainment giant AEG Presents, the producing partner of Hangout Fest and Sand in My Boots, also puts on the annual Stagecoach country music festival in California. It’s a giant event with a monster country lineup taking place at the end of April and you can buy general admission passes right now for just $619. (Service fees included!)

My conclusion: Sand in My Boots is not cheap, but it is not expensive either. It’s more of an expensive, “let’s see if this works” thing. And part of the reason I say this is because it’s very difficult to compare apples to apples here. Sand in My Boots is something different.

Country fans have been listening to hip-hop for 30 years and many rap tracks have made their way into mainstream country music. Here’s a country festival that includes some rappers. Why not? And country fans who have attended Hangout Fest over the years have plenty of opportunities to hear non-country acts like Diplo and The War on Drugs, so it makes sense to include some of that as well.

Wallen just released a video for the song. “To love someone” the second single from an upcoming album. It has a distinct country-pop feel. When he dropped it, Wallen said, “I feel like this will sound good on the boat.” I might as well have said “on the beach” because it’s easy to imagine listening to the tune from the Hangout Fest stage.

From Hangout Fest’s perspective, it’s not particularly adventurous programming. From the country’s perspective, it’s a great opportunity to try some new things while generally staying in your comfort zone.

Promotional materials suggest that Wallen will put a personal touch on many aspects of the event, not just the programming. It’s hard to know what that means right now. But for those who can’t get enough of Morgan Wallen – and there are legions of them – it seems a tantalizing prospect.

Here’s something to think about on that point. In the spring of 2024, Riley Green, a country artist from Alabama who is on the bill for Sand in My Boots, brought his Duckman Jam Weekend to Flora-Bama. General admission tickets were $69.50, but VIP options went up to $570 per person. That may seem like a lot for a Flora-Bama event, but it seems to show that some country fans will pay more for a special experience with an artist they love. By trading so heavily on Wallen’s involvement, it seems Sand in My Boots wants to tap into that desire on a larger scale. And maybe they will.

So, is Hangout Fest dead? Of course not. Hangout Fest has a proven track record and no major blemishes. It is a brand that is worth money. That will not go to waste. It will return in some form. Everyone wins here, the best-case scenario for the organizers is that they successfully launch the Sand in My Boots brand, then bring back a revamped Hangout Fest and continue down the road with two strong brands where they once had one.

Whether Gulf Shores can support them both is another question. And Sand in My Boots has a few thousand tickets to sell before we have to seriously ask.