Clinton gets set for its second ‘Tailgate’ concert fest

CLINTON, Iowa – The 2024 Tailgate N’ Tallboys country music festival in this community will be bigger and better than last year – and it might even turn a profit this year. Those were the main messages delivered Thursday morning, April 4, by Clinton officials to business leaders during a festival planning and update meeting […]

CLINTON, Iowa – The 2024 Tailgate N’ Tallboys country music festival in this community will be bigger and better than last year – and it might even turn a profit this year. Those were the main messages delivered Thursday morning, April 4, by Clinton officials to business leaders during a festival planning and update meeting at the Grow Clinton office. “This (festival) has really brought the community together. … Let's see if we can grow the heck out of it,” Josh Eggers, the city’s parks and recreation director, said during the meeting to a crowd of more than 50 Clinton business owners and managers.

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That meeting was held to encourage business and community support for the festival; outline some changes planned for the 2024 event; and give the latest developments on the summer music celebration. The second annual music fest will be held Thursday, June 6, through Saturday, June 8, on the Clinton riverfront. The headliner acts will be Jelly Roll on June 6, Bailey Zimmerman on June 7, and Shinedown on June 8. (Go here to see the full lineup of music acts.) “This festival is the real deal. This is not a rinky-dink production. … This has put us on the map,” Clinton Mayor Scott Maddasion said, adding that Clinton got press coverage from as far away as London, England, during the first Tailgate N’ Tallboys music fest last year. The mayor and Mr. Eggers updated the crowd on developments and possible changes to this summer’s festival. Some of those highlights include:

• Ticket sales: Mr. Maddaison said sales have been strong, currently at about 8,000 tickets sold per day of the festival.  He added that he is confident many more tickets will be sold as about 50% of the ticket sales will be made within 30 days of the festival’s start. The goal is to sell about 12,000 tickets per day for the three-day fest. Last year, the concert event attracted about 30,000 people total, the mayor added. During Thursday’s meeting, city officials said this year’s ticket sales have already doubled the pace of last year’s sales at this time of year. Go here to buy tickets.
• Ticket changes: Concert officials have added more ticket options including a “weekend flex” option that will give fans admission to the full festival, but offer separate wristbands for each day of the festival. There is also a “super fan” option that will let fans right next to the main stage.
• Security: Security will be provided by the concert promoter, USA Concerts, and community volunteers. For instance, members of the local American Legion Post are expected to watch over parked vehicles at the festival. 
• Sponsorship: Wild Rose Casino & Hotel, Clinton, is the title sponsor. Other sponsorships are still available for the event.  At Thursday’s meeting, business leaders were encouraged to launch their own business promotions and marketing of the festival to help get the community excited about the event.
• Festival setup: The mayor said semi trucks will arrive in Clinton the weekend before the festival to start setup work. Last year, many curious people from the community drove through the concert site to get a look at the work. That won’t be happening this year because traffic near the riverfront will be restricted during setup work.
• Other changes in the works: Some of the other changes for the 2024 festival include: more parking options, more camping areas (electric RV camping sites for the festival have already been sold out); the main stage will be slightly repositioned so concert-goers will not have the sun in their eyes during concerts; and city buses will drop off concert-goers at the front entrance of the festival.

Many of those changes are based on lessons learned after Clinton’s inaugural Tailgate N’ Tallboys festival held last summer. That festival realized about a $400,000 deficit, which was evenly split between the city and concert promoter USA Concerts. Mayor Maddasion said many of the changes that will happen at this summer’s fest will cut expenses, bring in more concert-goers and drive more revenues. He added that the concert promoter – which has a three-year contract with Clinton for the festival – is not concerned about the financial losses during the opening year. USA Concerts knows it is a process and financial improvements will eventually be made, he said. The mayor called the first year of the festival an “investment” that will pay off. “I don’t see it as a loss. It’s an investment in tourism. … This is truly economic development for the community,” he added. Many of the people at Thursday’s meeting seem to agree. Mr. Eggers said the “overwhelming  (community) response has been positive” to the festival. Business representatives are also looking forward to the summer music fest. Several on hand said they were pleased with the meeting and information provided Bambi Starr, an employee with SERVPRO, Clinton, a company that provides commercial and residential cleaning and restoration services, said that some people in the community were concerned about the impact of the festival last year, but are much more positive this year. “It went smoothly last year. … There were really no problems,” she added.