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The organizers of WonderRoad, the music festival that brought rock bands Vampire Weekend and Weezer to Garfield Park in 2022 and 2023, are split into two camps suing each other because of financial friction related to the Indianapolis event and three other festivals.
Cleveland-based concert promoters Denny Young and Steven Lindecke filed litigation in Ohio in 2024, claiming that financial backers Cliff Chenfeld and Michelle Wesley Licata failed to follow through on obligations to contribute committed funds to produce WonderStruck in Cleveland, WonderBus in Columbus, WonderWorks in Pittsburgh and WonderRoad.
Chenfeld responded with his own lawsuit in January, claiming that Young and Lindecke misrepresented what was possible in the realm of a return on investment.
The “Wonder” festivals—which date to 2016 with WonderStruck’s predecessor, LaureLive—were not staged in 2024. Last spring, organizers characterized the decision as a “pause.”
On Feb. 4, Facebook profiles representing the four festivals posted identical updates, citing “challenges concerning certain financial aspects within our partnership group.”
Another excerpt from the posts read, “These circumstances have necessitated a legal resolution, affecting not only our team but also the artists, vendors and fans who make these festivals special.”
Although the Facebook posts expressed “hope for what’s to come,” any chance for events in 2025 appears to be miniscule. According to online court records, as of early February, the cases are set to go to trial in summer 2026.
Young and Lindecke originally did business as Elevation Music LLC. In 2019, they partnered with investment vehicles associated with Chenfeld and Licata. A new venture known as Elevation Festivals LLC was launched.
The litigation filed by Young and Lindecke claims that Chenfeld, co-founder of independent music label Razor & Tie, announced plans to exit the joint venture one month after WonderRoad debuted in Indianapolis in June 2022.
The counterclaim filed by Chenfeld describes the 2022 edition of WonderStruck, a July event in Cleveland headlined by the Lumineers and Vampire Weekend, as “a financial disaster for Elevation Festivals, despite Young and Lindecke’s prior false rosy projections otherwise.”
The two editions of WonderRoad in 2022 and 2023 were produced in association with Indianapolis-based MOKB Presents, the independent concert company that oversees operations of Fountain Square venues Hi-Fi, Hi-Fi Annex and Lo-Fi.
MOKB Presents is not listed as a party in either of the Elevation Festivals lawsuits.
Regarding the litigation, Young emailed a statement to the IBJ indicating that he and Lindecke attempted to resolve the matter before turning to the courts.
“We believe our business partners made significant commitments to our jointly owned company that they have not fulfilled,” Young wrote. “Ironically, just weeks before announcing his interest in exiting the partnership, Cliff Chenfeld praised WonderRoad as a promising debut with significant potential for success in Indianapolis.”
The lawsuit filed by Young and Lindecke mentions $5 million in out-of-pocket expenses related to attempts to keep the the four festivals afloat.
Jon Pinney, a Cleveland-based attorney representing Chenfeld and Licata, told the IBJ that the lawsuit filed against Young and Lindecke speaks for itself.
Each side accuses the other of fraud and breach of fiduciary duties. The lawsuits were filed in Cleveland’s Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
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It is a shame that this music festival won’t go on. The chorus of jack wagons that don’t even live in this neighborhood that caused this to be cancelled is embarrassing.