On-Again, Off-Again Africa Benefit Concert Now Set for Hollywood

An on-again, off-again music festival to benefit starving people in Africa is on again, this time in Hollywood, its organizers said Thursday.

The three-day event, which has been beset by organizational difficulties and was canceled last week by Burbank officials, is to start today at the Stardust Ballroom, a former roller-skating rink and dance club on Sunset Boulevard, concert organizers said.

Ticket prices, which had ranged from $20 to $60 when the festival was to be held at the Starlight Amphitheatre in Burbank, have been lowered to $10.

Producer Had Given Up

Michael Evans Boyd, the originator and executive producer of the festival, announced the new dates and locations a day after he said the concerts would not go on this weekend. After being told Tuesday that he could not stage the concerts at the Starlight, Boyd said he had given up on finding another location for the shows.

“My staff managed to get the Stardust, and we are definitely going through with the shows,” Boyd said. “They have worked on this very hard and got this facility without my knowledge. I may not agree with it, but it’s going on.” He said the event is being staged without adequate promotion.

Forty percent of the ticket revenue will go to the Burbank chapter of the American Red Cross for African relief, Boyd said. The rest will go to his production company and the Stardust, he said.

Eight-Hour Concerts

The concerts will start at 6 p.m. and will run until 2 a.m., Boyd said. Among the acts scheduled to perform are the Chambers Brothers and actresses Danielle Brisebois and Mabel King, who will sing. Billy and the Beaters, the most popular local band booked for the festival, has dropped out of the lineup because of another commitment, he said.

The festival was canceled by Burbank officials, who said the event’s organizers had failed to meet city requirements for using the city-owned facility.

Those requirements included posting a $30,000 bond to help pay for fire and police protection and securing city health and safety permits.