A free tribute concert to the rock band Queen will go ahead on September 4 at the Théâtre antique d'Orange in southern France, after organizer David Hardit reached an out-of-court settlement with the town's National Rally-led council, which had tried to cancel the event.
The deal was struck in the course of a legal challenge Hardit brought before the administrative tribunal of Nîmes, avoiding the need for judges to rule on the cancellation.
In late June, the new National Rally municipality led by Mayor Jean-Dominique Artaud cancelled the event, known as "Queen Forever," even though it had already been approved by the previous council. Contacted by La Dépêche du Midi at the time, the mayor's office described the cancellation as a "responsible" budget decision.
Hardit rejected that explanation, pointing out that the town of Orange, in the Vaucluse department, had a "comfortable" municipal budget surplus of 11 million euros. When the town hall did not respond to his attempts at dialogue, he took the case to the administrative tribunal of Nîmes to contest the decision.
A costly compromise
The settlement leaves Hardit out of pocket. He agreed to personally cover 37,000 euros in costs that were originally meant to be paid by the town, including sound, lighting, royalties owed to the French music rights body SACEM, and catering for the performers, he told La Dépêche du Midi on Monday afternoon.
The municipality will still cover security and the use of the venue, at a cost of 49,845 euros, in addition to a 20,572 euro deposit it had already paid to the production company DH Management when the contract was signed, the town told the broadcaster France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
'Victory for popular culture'
Hardit said the financial loss was worth it to honor his commitment to the roughly 1,000 volunteer choir singers and helpers involved, and to protect the local economy. He said cancelling a show with 600 volunteers and 650 choir singers would have meant all of them losing money already spent on train tickets and hotel bookings, as well as lost income for restaurants and hotels in Orange.
He said a free concert, even one held only once a year, serves a public purpose for people who cannot afford tickets, and called the outcome a victory for popular, accessible culture.
What happens next
With Hardit's withdrawal of his legal claim, the concert is now confirmed, though attendance will require registration. The Théâtre antique d'Orange, an ancient Roman theatre and UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a capacity of 6,000 seats. Access will remain free but subject to an online reservation system that organizers said would open soon.
