St. Louis-area musicians at this year’s Music at the Intersection are complaining that organizers did not treat them well during the weekend festival and questioning the event’s commitment to regional performers.
Since Music at the Intersection started in 2021, one of its primary goals has been to include and support musicians from the St. Louis region. But over the weekend, the festival did not provide area performers with meals, and festival employees told them they would have to leave green rooms — areas set aside to make performers comfortable.
Brianna Brown, who performs as BeBe the Neo-Soul, said a stage manager told her that local performers don’t get tickets for meals, even though the contract she signed stipulated that the festival would provide her with food. Brown said the manager told her the festival did that for national acts.
“It seems small, but it feels big to us when we make such a sacrifice and we work so hard to pour as much as we can [and] to bring the quality,” Brown said. “Not everything has to be as expected, but I know that myself and a lot of my colleagues expected to be a little bit more taken care of.”
Chris Hansen, executive director of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, which presents the festival, said organizers want to address the concerns of regional artists who performed over the weekend.
When asked Sunday about the complaints, Hansen said that each stage, including the Walls on Washington stage where many regional artists performed, had a green room and hospitality area with “basic hospitality.” He said all artists had access to an artist village, where they could meet with other performers.
But several performers said workers at the festival didn’t treat them as promised.
Michael Franco, half of the hip-hop duo Darkwood, said a festival worker kicked him out of the green room area at the Walls on Washington stage — nestled in an alleyway behind High Low cafe — and denied him access to the artist village.
“Finding out that we're not going to get a meal as a part of performing here, and not really even having anywhere for us to sit down inside or anything like that, it’s been a little disheartening,” Franco said.
Alexia Majors, who performs as Alexia Simone, said festival employees told her that she and her band would not be permitted into the artist village after her 45-minute set.
“Not being able to provide them the opportunity to have a ticket or be able to utilize their artist badge to roam around the festival and interact with and network with other musicians who they are also fond of. It’s rough to be put in a position to think you will have those opportunities and then not have them,” Majors said.
In a statement on Monday, Hansen acknowledged that the festival has to boost its efforts to include regional artists.
“Music at the Intersection is about celebrating and elevating the local arts and music ecosystem, so if that’s not felt by everyone, then it’s a miss and we must improve it,” he said. “As much as we may have planned meticulously and communicated abundantly, in the end it’s about how people feel about their experience.”
Hansen said that early in the day on Saturday, as gates opened and the first acts took the stages, there were communications issues with catering and logistics that organizers worked to resolve.
Kayla Thompson, who performs as KV the Writer and joined Brown on the Washington Avenue stage as a special guest, said events like Music at the Intersection are where art institutions can show local artists respect.
“We're sharing the same stages as the national acts,” Thompson said. “Like the Wash Ave stage is the same stage that Big Boi is going to be on. But, the artists that are from here weren't offered green tickets to go to the artist village and get a basic sandwich,” Thompson said. “It sends a blatant message that you are not the same or you are less than. You're not as valuable to us.”
Hansen said the festival has already started taking action for next year, including expanding a partnership with local rapper Mvstermind to be part of the team that informs artist programming and artist care.
“We are 100% committed to active listening and do not take a defensive posture to getting feedback,” Hansen said.
This story has been updated to mention efforts by festival organizers on Saturday to resolve communications issues
