CT Attorney General launches investigation into Capulet music festival: 'Wrong and it’s unacceptable'

Last week, Barbara Soderman and her daughter traveled up to Connecticut from North Carolina to attend Capulet Fest, having paid more than $500 to access all three days of the metal rock festival, she said. The duo packed lawn chairs and blankets for the event, which was originally set to take place at the Thompson Speedway from Friday through Sunday. Soderman’s daughter has a disability placard, she said, and they needed to be able to sit down at any point during the festival. 

However, several hours after they arrived in Connecticut, Capulet Entertainment announced on the event’s now-deleted Facebook page on Thursday that event would no longer take place at the Thompson Speedway and would instead take place at The Webster in Hartford, a much different type of venue more than 50 miles from the original. They decided they did not want to go. 

Soderman is one of the dozens of Capulet Fest ticket holders filing a complaint with the Connecticut Attorney General against the the festival promotor, Estevan Vega. Soderman said she has not yet filed but does plan to. She and other members of the public Facebook group “Victims of Capulet Fest 2024” are demanding that Vega offer full or partial refunds to those impacted by the sudden changes and cancellations that defined Capulet Fest 2024. 

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Attorney General William Tong said his office has received up to 60 complaints. His office has already launched an investigation into Capulet Entertainment. 

Tong called what happened “outrageous” and a “big deal.” 

“It’s wrong and it’s unacceptable,” he said. 

Tong said the company gave limited public notice about the move, and “moved in the dark of night.” He noted that the second venue, the Webster in Hartford, “is a fraction of the size that was promised.” 

“If you’re going to a festival and camp out for a few days, it’s an investment,” he said. “They should’ve gotten what they promised but they didn’t.” 

“I don’t want to see that happen again,” he added. 

Tong added Tuesday that there are still details about the incident that they are investigating. He said he has been in contact with Vega’s legal council in connection with the investigation.

“We expect them to fully comply with our request for information,” he said. 

He said he can’t make promises on what his office can deliver — it’s too early to say how refunds will manifest or be distributed. Tong advised fans to pursue whatever remedies are at their disposal to obtain refunds, such as reaching out to their credit card companies or banks if they can. 

Tong also noted that he’s not going to be sympathetic if Capulet Entertainment said the economics of the event didn’t work out. 

“I’m here for the fans of Capulet and I’m here for the fans that got ripped off,” he said. 

After announcing the venue and lineup changes on Thursday, Capulet Entertainment said on the event’s now-deleted Facebook page Saturday night that Sunday’s performances would be canceled. They did not explain the reasons behind the cancellation of Sunday’s show nor did they specify whether ticket holders would receive refunds. 

“We fought. We wrestled with obstacle after obstacle. We became a target,” the now-deleted statement read. “We became hated, even when we were doing our best to save something and give you the best show possible. No one sees the sacrifice. All they do is judge. We did everything we could. We hope you had fun. We did our best. Thank you to everyone who came out and had a blast. We hope you enjoyed the meet and greets. We hope you enjoyed the music. Goodbye.” 

Both Vega’s Facebook account and the Capulet Fest event page were taken down on Sunday afternoon. Capulet Entertainment hasn’t responded to Hearst Connecticut Media’s request for comment. 

Soderman, along with other users of the Facebook group, is also looking to dispute the ticket and get a refund through her credit card company, arguing she should be compensated for the last-minute changes.

“I feel really bad for the bands. And I feel really bad for the local residents and the music scene here. It’s left a really bad taste in peoples' mouths,” she said. 

Major Moment, a Boston-based pop metal band that was on Saturday’s Capulet Fest lineup, is offering partial or full refunds to fans who bought Capulet Fest tickets through their website, according to a post on their Facebook Page. 

“We want to make it right,” Andrey Borzykin, a vocalist and manager for the band, said. 

On the upside, Borzykin said The Webster provided a safe environment for fans. The venue was ventilated and the staff provided water, he said.

Borzykin said he understands the challenges and sudden changes that come with festival organizing, but he hopes Vega will issue an apology to ticket holders and offer full or partial refunds. 

Vernon resident and ticket holder Bree Barnett said she planned to stay at the Wellsworth Hotel in Southbridge, Massachusetts, which was promoted on the Capulet Fest website. On Thursday, when she found out via social media that the event would actually take place at The Webster — 15 minutes from her house — it was too late to cancel her booking at the Massachusetts hotel without penalty fees, she said. She said she received half a refund on the booking from Expedia and is currently waiting to hear from the hotel about a full refund.

“There was a lack of professionalism and communication as a whole,” she said. 

The Wellsworth Hotel sales department told Hearst Connecticut that they couldn’t comment on refunds for guests who cancelled their bookings due to the last-minute Capulet Fest venue change. 

Barnett said attendance at Capulet Fest Friday night was “pretty sparse.” She purchased a weekend ticket and a “Royal Pass” to meet one of her idols, Lacey Sturm, who was on Sunday’s lineup. She said she and her husband spent a total of $675 on tickets, she said. (A regular three-day pass was priced at $225 plus fees, and went up to $750 for the Capulet Royal VIP Pass.)

“My husband’s been looking for tickets for nine years for me because (meeting Sturm) has been a huge dream of mine my whole life. And it finally it was going come true. And then this all happened,” she said. 

Liz Hardaway contributed to this report.