(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Lafayette, Louisiana’s 307 Downtown club nearly avoided a major scam, stemming from a fake promoter’s attempts to book a phony Axl Rose appearance at the club in May.
307’s entertainment coordinator, Chad Fouquier, told the Daily Advertiser that the venue mailed in the deposit for the solo gig on Good Friday, feeling certain that they had booked the biggest show ever at the club.
By Saturday afternoon, following a front-page article in the same paper announcing the appearance, Rose’s booking and management company contacted them, asking why they were disseminating false information.
“We both came to the conclusion that it (the booking) was fraudulent,” Fouquier told the paper.
“The good news is they might have gotten a little sloppy when they had us deliver the deposit on Good Friday,” he continued. “(It) hasn’t been cashed and we stopped payment on it. We ended up walking away scott-free on the whole deal.”
The promoter was careful to sound official on all other matters, however, even assuring in the contract that the sometimes-flaky performer could not hurt the club’s investment.
“If Axl doesn’t show, if he drinks, if he doesn’t play for any reason,” Fouquier said, the club was entitled a refund of all monies. Tickets were set to be sold starting May 6th, for $35 each.
307 Downtown contacted authorities in Chicago, Orlando and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and expects legal actions to be taken. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers