TRUMBULL, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) - Poor ticket sales forced officials in Trumbull to cancel a Michael Bolton concert.

WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane On The Story

First Selectman Tim Herbst said the town could have taken a nearly $175,000 loss had the shown gone on.

There will still be a $7,500 cancellation fee for the town to pay, but most of that is coming from profit from a previous show.

On questions of funding help from a local contractor, Herbst said the town took on more of the risk.

“That’s why I went before the town council and the Board of Finance, in the interest of full transparency, to let every member of those bodies, both Republican and Democrat know, there is a substantial cost and substantial risk,” he told WCBS 880 reporter Paul Murnane.

This year aside, the shows put on in Trumbull are popular, though often weather disrupted tradition.

Next year and beyond, Herbst would like the town to take bids from promoters looking to use a local park while shouldering the show business risk themselves.

The concert was scheduled for last Saturday in Indian Ledge Park.

Indian Ledge Park – Trumbull, Conn – Sept. 27, 2012 (credit: Paul Murnane / WCBS 880)

Herbst said about 700 to 1,000 tickets had been sold, though the town needed to sell 4,000 to 5,000 to break even.

The average ticket cost was $40.

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