Today Gary Richards aka Destructo aka the Hard Father announced that he will be leaving Live Nation. Accordingly, he will not be curating or attending Holy Ship 2018. Rumor has it that he will be going to LiveStyle (a relaunch of concert promoter SFX) but HARD Events will be staying with LiveNation. It is unclear who will be taking over in his place but many fans and Holy Ship attendees are devastated by the news.
For those who don’t know, Holy Ship is an music festival held aboard a luxurious cruise ship that makes stops in the Bahamas. It is not only a dream vacation in paradise, but an epic 4 day festival featuring some of dance musics biggest names. The first ship set sail in 2012 with headliners like Skrillex, Zedd, and Diplo. Since it’s inception, Holy Ship has been a major success with tickets selling out in minutes. It has also birthed its own culture. Ship fam is cult like group that can only be appreciated and understood if you’ve been on the ship. It’s a family that looks out for each other, instantly rages together, and buys anything with pineapples. It’s a family that loves their Hard Father and can tell imagine a Holy Ship without his epic 4 hour long Sunrise Sermon.
Photo from Erik Voake Facebook
2018 attendees have been patiently waiting for the lineup to be released. Today social media has begun buzzing that the delayed announcement is due to Destructo missing from the line up causing others not wanting to perform without him there. Artist and fans alike have taken to the internet to show their support.
A petition and open letter has even been created on change.org that has already gained over a thousand signatures. A portion of it reads “At the end of the day, if you choose to give Gary the boot, or otherwise force him from Holyship, we pledge to make this hurt, and not physically, but financially….Live Nation, the ball is in your court. Play smart”
Unfortunately, Richards latest Facebook post indicated that the announcement was final and it appears he has something new in the works.
Maybe we will get lucky and the Hard Father will be the one to bring TomorrowWorld back to the states. One can dream….
H/T: LA Weekly