This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For Ararat European Motorsports, the "biggest car show/concert to come hit Salt Lake City" will not go on — at least not in South Salt Lake.
The A.E.M. SuperShow scheduled for Saturday was to feature mostly local musicians of pop, hip-hop and latin genres, who would perform behind the defunct Granite High School on the football field. The show also would feature a car show with Aston Martins, Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
However, it was canceled because of permitting issues.
Ararat's marketing and advertising chief, Jason Moore — who was to host the event — said he has become known recently as the "controversial concert promoter" because of what he calls "just mass confusion" about permits for the concert.
Moore said he put in the deposits and permits required for the concert about three months ago, but didn't hear his mass-gathering permit was denied until seven days before the concert. The show had been in planning for six months and gained sponsorships from Addictive Behavior Motorsports, the Utah Food Bank, City Weekly and others, Moore said.
"In a nutshell man — I got screwed," he told The Tribune on Friday.
Salt Lake Valley Health Department Bureau of food protection manager Bryce Larsen said Moore turned in the permits, but "portions were not filled out completely or correctly."
"When we discovered these concerns we informed them about it," Larsen said.
In a last ditch effort, Moore met with the Salt Lake Valley Health Department and South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood to see if there was anything they could do to iron out the permit issue.
According to the city's website, Wood met with Moore on Monday and the city was ready to issue a special-event permit if Moore could "provide the necessary insurance, security plan, and Mass Gathering Permit from the County Health Department."
Moore said a major aim of the concert was to promote youth voter registration.
"They listen to me because I'm young, I am black, I've got tattoos, I know about rap, and hip hop ... so they listen to me," he said.
Those who bought tickets through 24Tix.com will get their money back, Moore said.
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