Suit
'N sues over 'N Sync show
By Nancy Carr
STAFF WRITER
Class action suit: Northbrook mom and daughter drove 6 hours, never got to see
Route 66 concert
JOLIET — A disgruntled Northbrook mother filed a class-action lawsuit on
Friday against teen rock group 'N Sync, Joliet's Route 66 Raceway and concert
promoters MCY Music World Inc. and SFX Marketing Inc. The suit was filed in
Chicago "on behalf of Mrs. (Pierre) Petrich and all the other people who
were basically prevented from seeing the concert that they bought tickets
for," said Chicago attorney Clinton Krislov, who represents Petrich.
According to Krislov, Petrich bought two tickets for the concert — one for
herself and one for her daughter, Alyssa, for her ninth birthday. The pair left
their Northbrook home at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the day of the concert and
arrived at the Joliet venue, some 50 miles away, at 10:15 p.m. The concert ended
at 10:30.
"After a six-hour journey, to find out it's all over, it's not fair,"
Krislov said. Petrich and her daughter were two of possibly hundreds who got
tied up in traffic on their way to the sold-out concert. WMAQ-TV reported Friday
that at least eight cars had to be towed because they ran out of gas or their
transmissions burned out as they inched their way toward Route 66 Raceway, south
of Joliet.
Petrich paid just under $100 for the two tickets and didn't even make it to her
seat before the concert ended. Now, she, her lawyer and, maybe, other thwarted
concert-goers want someone to take responsibility for the traffic foul-up that
kept them from seeing the band. And they're not letting the five teen
heart-throbs off the hook, either. "It's the band's responsibility,
too," Krislov said. "They owe it to their fans that they don't just
rip off a bunch of money from a bunch of fans. If bands don't make sure fans can
get (to concerts), promoters might not do it either." The case still has to
be certified by the court as a class action, which Krislov said he expects to
happen next week. He advised that people who want to join the suit should retain
their tickets or their proof of purchase and make notes of their experience. He
said the fans' recovery has yet to be determined, but it may include refunding
their money or presenting another concert. "We understand the track
considers this a to be a learning experience," said Krislov, noting that
the track has only presented a few concerts. "If it's a learning
experience, there's going to be expensive tuition." Plaintiff Petrich could
not be reached for comment. Nat Handler, director of marketing for Route 66
Raceway, gave a terse "no comment" about the suit. He said track
general manager Joie Chitwood was out of town.
Nancy Carr can be reached at (815) 729-6172 or via e-mail at nancy.carr@copleypress.com.
WMAQ-TV provided background information for this story.