The controversy surrounding Adelaide’s Live at the Zoo festival has taken another heated (and embarrassing) turn, with infamous US promoter Hal Royce effectively taking his beef public. The festival took place over the Easter Long Weekend and was “slammed as a “disgrace””:http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/local/17970/Easter-weekend-festival-wrap-up.htm by Premier Mike Rann on his Twitter feed.

It also suffered horrifically bad press from News Limited daily the Adelaide Advertiser, with journo Sam Kelton singling Royce out as the source of the festival’s problems. Hal is now fighting back, with an abusive email venting his frustration at Avalon Events director Peter Rowe, where he CCd in employees from News Limited, the Seven Network, a slew of other media outlets and corporate sponsors, and also the Premier’s Department itself. Oh dear…

“It’s sickening that Sam Kelton found me responsible for the operational problems and not you,” the email from Royce says. “You lied well [sic] blaming me for your inabilities and mishandling of just about EVERYTHING, regarding LIVE AT THE ZOO. Your denial in such severe circumstances shows serious mental problems.” Royce is infamous for having written the book How Not to Promote Concerts and Music Festivals, a manual described as a “one of a kind” guide to avoiding the common pitfalls of putting on a festival. He’d been recruited by the Adelaide-based promoters to help stage the three-day camping event, and when it all went horribly wrong Royce was singled out as the one to blame. “For the 4000-plus crowd that attended the event at the weekend, there is no need to read the book How Not to Promote Concerts and Music Festivals – we witnessed it first hand,” the Adelaide Advertiser claimed. “When music lovers handed over $185 to – œbe an animal for a weekend’, many were unaware they would actually have to live like one.”

Hal Royce obviously isn’t ready to take it lying down, however, and over the course of the 900-word email he threatens legal action, casts dispersions on Peter Lowe’s ability to pay his bills, and brands him as a liar along with a whole huge whack of other allegations that are way too slanderous to print. “You have no self-guilt on anything at all, including pricing the show too high, not securing utes for rubbish, canceling the portaloo contract and not allowing me to meet any beverage people untl [sic] one week before the show,” Royce says. “Your lies, deceipt [sic] and gross incompetence is being reported around the world and it is just starting,” he continues. “You disregarded my contract and made the conscious decision to stuoidly [sic] do what you wanted when you wanted and you see the disastrous effect of trying to pull off an event way over your head. I was manage [sic] daily operations and you violated this almost everyday. I am informing local, state and national authorities of your insanity.” And that’s just getting started on what’s included in the email.

Why exactly Royce deemed it necessary to go public with his frustrations in such a fashion is a mystery, because a simple professional chat with the Adelaide Advertiser would have perhaps wielded better results than starting a slanging match over email with a huge amount of media contacts tactically CCd in. Regardless, he’s certainly shown himself to be the sort of guy that won’t step down from an old-fashioned promoter stoush! “I explained repeatedly you should not be in the festival business, or any other business. You are the worst Manager on planet Earth.”