Passes have now gone on sale for Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots” festival, and that brings us one step closer to answering a big question: Can this fledgling event win enough new fans to overcome the loss of some Hangout regulars and a ticket price scale that has caused some backlash?

To recap, Hangout Fest organizers recently announced that in partnership with Wallen they’ll present Sand in My Boots May 16-18 in Gulf Shores. It’ll use the Hangout Fest site and much the same production team, but will feature a three-day lineup curated by Wallen. Along with superstar Post Malone and country veterans Brooks & Dunn, Wallen tops a lineup that is mostly country but includes fair helpings of rap (T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa, Three 6 Mafia) as well as pop and rock (The War on Drugs, 3 Doors Down, Future Islands).

It should come as no surprise that initial reactions from some of the Hangout faithful were negative: They’re invested in the fest; they know what they want, and mainstream country isn’t it; and they already had Hangout-centric forums where they could air their gripes.

Early reactions on the Hangout Fest’s own Facebook page did include some excitement, but disappointment dominated: “This is beyond disappointing.” “Celebrating 15 years of Hangout Fest by replacing Hangout Fest.” “Y’all just killed an entire festival with a single ‘artist’ announcement.” “Don’t do this to the gulf coast. Not after the loss of voodoo and buku.” (Referencing two New Orleans events, the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, which hasn’t been held since 2019, and the BUKU Music + Art Project, which went on hiatus in 2023 after presenting a 2022 edition.)

Facebook commenters on an AL.com post about the lineup also were mostly unkind. “This is objectively the worst hangout lineup of all time.” “This is the guy that openly used the hard R, right?” (A reference to a scandal in which a video emerged of Wallen using a racial epithet; Wallen has apologized several times, but for many it was a permanent turn-off.) “More like sand in my bathing suit festival.” “I feel like I need a hep b shot just looking at the lineup.”

Morgan Wallen fans seemed quite pleased, though the positive reactions were a little more diffuse and thus harder to track. Many immediately began to wonder if Post Malone, Wallen’s collaborator on the hit single “I Had Some Help,” would be on board. When it was confirmed that he was, they were ready to book their condos and pack their bags.

Sample comments from Morgan Wallen’s Facebook page after the lineup announcement: “Can’t wait.” “I’ll be there.” “Good luck getting tickets to this!” “Line up is a dream.” “I guess we’re going to Alabama next summer.”

Here’s a crystal-ball prediction that doesn’t require much in the way of wisdom: Despite the backlash, a significant portion of the established Hangout crowd will return.

Yes, it’s obvious that a substantial chunk of the Hangout Music Fest constituency, possibly a majority, doesn’t care for this lineup. But let’s not forget that tens of thousands of people packed the beach to see Sunday headliner Zach Bryan close out the 2024 Hangout Fest. Bryan’s rapport with his fans was impressive. It was a good time. So that portion of the 2024 crowd may find Sand in My Boots quite appealing.

Meanwhile, the drawing power of Wallen and Malone is unquestioned. Wallen pulled 31,000 people to Mobile’s fairgrounds for a standalone concert in fall 2021. If he can do that in west Mobile, how can he not do even better on the beach, with Post Malone helping?

Anyone wondering why organizers are willing to give this a shot doesn’t have to look very far to find Exhibit A. It’s right up the road in Panama City Beach. Wallen headlined the most recent edition of the Gulf Coast Jam, which was held May 30-June 2. The weekend sold out six months ahead of time. Hangout hasn’t had a slam dunk like that in quite a while.

The 2025 Gulf Coast Jam will feature Blake Shelton, Tyler Childers, Lainey Wilson and Sam Hunt atop a lineup that also includes Alabama’s own Red Clay Strays. Tickets are on sale now, with GA passes currently going for $209 plus a $28.58 service fee. (Prices rise as sales progress; for 2024, GA passes rose to $339.)

Pricing has emerged as another subject of criticism for Sand in My Boots. GA passes start at $399 and the fee schedule ($39.90 tax, $11.97 beach restoration fee, $3 charity fee) push that to $453.87 all-in. The next step up is the $899 Party Pit pass, which comes to $1,018.87 with tax and fees. The extra $500 doesn’t seem to add much in the way of perks, other than access to an upfront viewing area. A festival map indicates that you’ll need at least the Party Pit pass to get up front at the main stage for the top acts.

Some industry outlets, including American Songwriter, Whiskey Riff and Wide Open Country, have reported on fan anger about the prices. In the end it’s a free-market issue — and the price points might not be as shocking as some seem to think.

A few points of comparison: For the 2024 Hangout Music Fest, GA passes started at $299 and stepped up at least as high as $319, while GA Plus started at $519, and VIP at $1,299. Bonnaroo prices started at $267 for the 2024 edition. Early bird prices for the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival started at $290 for the first weekend, $465 for the second weekend.

Entertainment juggernaut AEG Presents, the producing partner in the Hangout Fest and Sand in My Boots, also puts on the annual Stagecoach country music fest in California. It’s a giant event with a monster country lineup that’ll be held in late April and you can buy general admission passes right now for a mere $619. (Service fees included!)

My takeaway: Sand in My Boots isn’t cheap, but it also isn’t “this is crazy” expensive. It’s more like, “let’s see if this works” expensive. And part of the reason I say that is because it’s very hard to compare apples to apples here. Sand in My Boots is something different.

Country fans have been listening to hip-hop for 30 years now, and a lot of rap cues have slipped into mainstream country music. So here’s a country fest that includes some rappers. Why not? And the country fans who’ve gone to Hangout Fest over the years have plenty of opportunity to hear non-country acts like Diplo and The War on Drugs, so it makes sense to include some of that as well.

Wallen just released a video for the song “Love Somebody,” the second single off an upcoming album. It’s got a distinct country-pop feel. When he let it drop, Wallen said “I feel like this one’s gonna sound good on the boat.” He might as well have said “on the beach” because it’s easy to envision hearing the tune from a Hangout Fest stage.

From a Hangout Fest perspective, it’s not a particularly adventurous lineup. From a country perspective, it’s a wide open chance to sample a few new things while generally staying in your comfort zone.

Promotional materials suggest that Wallen will put a personal touch on many aspects of the event, not just the lineup. It’s hard to know what that means, at this point. But for those who can’t get enough Morgan Wallen – and there are legions of them – it seems like a tantalizing prospect.

Here’s something to think about, on that point. In spring 2024, Riley Green – an Alabama country performer who’s on the Sand in My Boots lineup – brought his Duckman Jam weekend to the Flora-Bama. General Admission tickets were $69.50, but VIP options went as high as $570 per person. Maybe that seemed like a lot, for a Flora-Bama event, but it seems to show that some country fans will pay a premium for a special experience with an artist they love. By trading so heavily on Wallen’s involvement, it appears Sand in My Boots wants to tap into that desire on a larger scale. And maybe they will.

So is Hangout Fest dead? Of course not. Hangout Fest has a proven track record and no big blemishes. It is a brand that is worth money. That won’t be thrown away. It’ll be back in some form or fashion. The win-win here, the absolute best-case scenario for organizers, is that they successfully launch the Sand in My Boots brand, then bring back a refreshed Hangout Fest and go down the road with two strong brands where they previously had one.

Whether Gulf Shores can support both of them is a whole ‘nother question. And Sand in My Boots has a few thousand tickets to sell before we need to seriously ask it.

Note: Sand in My Boots festival tickets went on sale to locals at 10 a.m. Thursday; general public sales were to begin at 10 a.m. Central time on Friday, Oct. 25, at www.sandinmybootsfest.com.