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| Festival Concerts Fail to Break Even
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The two big name concerts held during the TT Festival
failed to break even it has been revealed.
A staggering £168,000 was spent on the two concerts
involving The Fun Lovin Criminals and Van Morrison, by
the Isle of Man Government Department of Tourism and
Leisure, but they have been left £8000 out of pocket.
The artist's fees made up the bulk of this amount.
Between the two acts, they received a total of
£96,623, but Isle of Man Minister for Tourism and
Leisure said that client confidentiality prevented him
from revealing how much was given to each act. However
Irish legend, Van Morrison, who was criticised for his
performance, is expected to have received the bulk of
this sum.
Other costs included the hire and construction of the
stage, lighting, special effects, PA system and other
related items at a total of £46,000, security and
staff at £15003, admin costs at £8252 and marketing at
£1380. Ticket sales meanwhile recouped £160210
although Mr Cretney has stressed that these figures
are provisional, because there are still some
outstanding bills and the amounts are to be audited.
This news is likely to anger race fans and local
residents alike, who consider these amounts would have
been better, spent on the racing and long term future
of the TT races.
The Van Morrison concert in particular, which was
billed as The Joey Dunlop Tribute Concert, will be
most under the spotlight after the singer put on a
lack lustre performance, and the Joey Dunlop Injured
Riders Fund were shunned by security staff and the
punters at the show.
With a fee possibly in excess of £50,000, the Manx
people and race fans alike, have every reason to be
annoyed with the return provided by Van Morrison.
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