Comments (0) Best Local Impresario - 2011
Jimmy Tebeau
It's been a rough year for Jimmy Tebeau, lead singer of the popular Grateful Dead cover band the Schwag and owner of a rural Missouri concert venue. Last November federal agents began the process of seizing Tebeau's 350-acre Camp Zoe on charges that he looked the other way as concertgoers bought, sold and consumed drugs on his premises. According to a subsequent federal indictment, undercover agents made more than 100 drug purchases during multiple Schwagstock festivals that Tebeau, 44, hosted on the property. But the court case against Tebeau also shows Tebeau's skill at attracting a crowd. According to court documents, Tebeau was routinely able to draw 5,000 to 6,000 people to Camp Zoe (125 miles southwest of St. Louis) for festivals and took in $1.4 million at the gate from August 2010 to November 2010. Another reason we're championing Tebeau is the potential fallout should the feds prove their case against him. Promoters everywhere could be on the hook if one of their customers scores drugs in the restroom or fires up a joint in the crowd. And that would be a buzz kill for everyone.
