In just a few hours, or right now if you're just waking up, the blind pre-sale for this year's Free Press Summer Fest begins at 10 a.m. at fpsf.com, and tickets should disappear faster than a rich banker when the collection plate in church gets passed around. For those who may have swallowed too much bongwater, that's your first opportunity to buy passes to the seventh edition of the Bayou City's annual bacchanal in Eleanor Tinsley Park, where the only thing hotter than the acts onstage is the temperatures in the portapotties.
This year's FPSF is scheduled for June 6 and 7, and if you remember, last year's presale did not quite go off without a hitch. Namely, when last year's was announced, some people saw the increased price tag and said, "Say what now?" But Jagi Katial, co-founder of the festival and the man behind Pegstar Concerts, the local promoters who are building their own concert venue on Houston's near Northside (more on that in a bit), promises that fans are not in for another case of sticker shock. Prices this year, he promises, are "more in line with last year."
"I think last year the problem was that people were not prepared (by us) about the presale happening," Katial says. "We were surprised about how fast they sold. So, by the time they got online to buy a ticket we had blown through a lot of the cheaper passes in a matter of minutes.
"I think people know now that if they want to buy at the cheapest levels, they are gonna have to be ready to go early," he adds. "And even at the top level of the blind pre-sale, the passes are very affordable, a steal, really."
Although he won't name a number (we'll find out soon enough anyway), for comparison's sake, Katial says the pre-sale prices are similar to what fans might pay for a regular tour stop by one of the headliners. As to who those might be, Katial says the lineup won't be announced for another four to six weeks, but he will say that there are approximately the same number of acts as in 2014, and that local musicians will continue to play a crucial role.
"Rest assured we love local musicians," he says. "And for Pegstar, it is part and parcel for us to do whatever we can to get as many of them in front of people."
Beyond that, Katial says it's not just the local performers who give FPSF its distinct identity, but that fans play an important role in determining who they see there.
"Whats the population in Houston now, 4.5M?", asks Katial, who swears FPSF is booked through 2017. "Not to sound like a pretentious play-cater, but I'm mostly serious. It's very much about feeling the pulse of the city, taking feedback."
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