HAMPTON, Ga. — The ‘Dukes and Boots’ event had some ups and downs on Saturday. Some event-goers and vendors are now sounding off about the festival.
They complained of long lines and far vendor locations.
“Everything went on without a hitch,” event host MC Lightfoot told Channel 2’s Audrey Washington.
“It was horrible,” April Gatison, a Dukes and Boots participant, said.
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Forty thousand people, all dressed in their denim and cowboy hats, put boots on the ground and headed to Echo Park Speedway in Hampton.
Some said what was dubbed as the ultimate Southern soul party felt like the ultimate letdown.
“There was a lot of walking from the parking lot to the entrance of the event. There was a lot of walking stairs,” Gatison told Washington.
Several people took to social media to voice their disappointment. They complained about pricey parking, the food and the music.
Gatison said even though some Southern Soul artists performed, she said she mostly heard R&B music.
“Line dancing atmosphere, not booty shaking,” Gatison explained.
Wednesday, Washington spoke with the event promoter, JD Lovett, who said maybe the speedway wasn’t the best venue choice.
“We kind of had it spread out too much. Even with the merchandise vendors, that area was kind of far,” Lovett explained.
As for the music complaints, Lovett defended the sound.
“It was a Southern Soul and R&B festival, so we had a mixture of both,” Lovett told Washington.
“Yeah, they played different music, of course, but no one wanted to hear Southern Soul for 15 hours,” MC Lightfoot said.
The event fell on the same weekend of Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter concert.
Gatison said she wishes she had ditched Dukes and Boots and bet on Queen Bey.
“I should’ve been on the front row of the Beyonce concert for what I spent,” Gatison laughed.
Lovett said he received about 400 refund requests out of the 40,000 people who attended.
He said he is now working to make the next Dukes and Boots event much better.
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