The Pondamonium music festival won't return to the Duck Pond in 2013, according to Madison Mallards president Vern Stenman.
The event's website indicates that "more information on Pondomonium 2013 [is] to be released in January," but that clearly hasn't happened.
Neither Stenman nor Majestic Theatre co-owner Matt Gerding, who helped put together the first edition of the event, would comment on why there won't be a Pondamonium 2013.
The announcement is surprising because Stenman said last year that he wanted Pondamonium to be an annual event. Pondamonium also made a point of starting big last August, with headlining performances from the Flaming Lips and Garbage. Given the Mallards' knack for surprising events and kooky promotions -- in 2009 former Johnny Cash backing band the Tennessee Three played the Pond, and this year's game-day promotions include a visit from Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi" -- it seems unusual for the organization to host such a big event and then discontinue it.
Despite some grumbling over ticket prices and some rain, the initial event certainly appeared to be a success. The Duck Pond turned out to be a good space for a big music festival, large enough but definitely more charming than other large, outdoor spaces like the Alliant Energy Center's Willow Island.
"We feel very confident that the ballpark is a spectacular venue for live music and that national music will return to the ballpark at some point, but most likely not this summer," Stenman says. "There have been discussions about varying degrees of music happening at the ballpark this summer, but nothing very serious at this point."
As to whether the Majestic would be involved in future live music events at the Duck Pond, Gerding says, "I would hope so, but there are no concrete plans."