Flagstock 2024 may go down in history as the most publicized, and possibly most expensive, fraternity party in state history. It certainly ranks among the most unusual.
Roughly 3,000 students and others were expected to attend the Labor Day gathering that was advertised as a conservative-leaning “rager” in famously progressive Chapel Hill. But when the lights dimmed and Nashville-based country duo Big & Rich took to the patriot-themed stage on Sept. 2, an estimated 300 people were in attendance.
Organizers say their goal was to promote patriotism and honor the UNC Chapel Hill fraternity brothers who barricaded the American flag from pro-Palestine protestors on the campus quadrangle on April 30. Many of the brothers were members of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity, though members of other Greek groups also surrounded the flag.
The event drew more publicity after then-interim UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts walked into the crowd and expressed his support for the students who had protected the American flag. Several prominent N.C. politicians praised Roberts’ actions, and in July he was named chancellor on a permanent basis. In July, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel applauded the fraternity members during a speech to Congress.
Still, the slim crowd isn’t what initial organizer John Noonan envisioned for the free party at the American Legion post in Chapel Hill. The reasons why more students didn’t show up include a possible disinterest in the musical acts and the event’s timing at the end of a three-day holiday weekend.
Noonan is a Virginia Military Institute graduate and conservative activist who played a key role in setting up a GoFundMe account to honor the fraternity brothers. It was an unabashed success, raising $515,500 in donations from nearly 16,000 donors within three days of the April protest.
Noonan’s appeal for money left no doubt of his viewpoints. “Commie losers across the country have invaded college campuses to make dumb demands of weak University Administrators,” he wrote. “But amidst the chaos, the screaming, the anti-semitism, the hatred of faith and flag, stood a platoon of American heroes. Armored in Vineyard Vines and Patagonia, fueled by Zyn and White Claws, these triumphant Brohemians protected Old Glory from the unwashed Marxist horde — laughing at their shrieks and wails and shielding the Stars & Stripes from Soviet missiles.”
Within a week, a new 501(c)4 corporation, Pints for Patriots, was formed in Virginia in response to the massive financial support. Later, the group started an affiliated nonprofit in North Carolina, The Assembly website reported.
One can buy a lot of pints with $515,000, so Noonan followed up with an invitation for members of UNC’s Interfraternity Council to meet to discuss a party focused on the flag, beer and country music. About 30 fraternity brothers gathered at Chapel Hill’s Top of Hill restaurant to share ideas with a friend of Noonan’s, whose name wasn’t disclosed, The Assembly said.
The Tar Heel fraternity members offer differing views on how much they influenced the event planning. But Noonan’s team clearly had a conviction to spend all of the donations on the event itself, with offsetting revenue from sponsorships and food and merchandise sales.
Daniel Cragg, a Minneapolis attorney who is general counsel for Pints for Patriots, didn’t have precise details on costs or revenue from the event. He says the group spent about $100,000 leasing the stage, festooned with spotlights, mics and amps, from New Jersey-based Technical Arts Group, plus $80,000 on security measures. Various officers from area sheriff’s departments and private companies worked at the event, including patrolling the 128-acre property on ATVs.
Other major expenses included renting the site, bus transportation, catering and compensating entertainers.
While performers including Big & Rich, Lee Greenwood and others were not paid for their time on stage, they traveled to the event on private jets hired by organizers, The Assembly reported. About $10,000 was spent on beer for attendees in the VIP tent, the website noted, quoting Noonan.
Flagstock ran for about three hours, with appearances from performers including Aaron Lewis, Rome Ramirez of Sublime and American character actor Nick Searcy. Red and blue spotlights beamed down upon the artists, who performed in front of a large screen displaying a picture of the fraternity brothers barricading the American flag. Greenwood, 81, closed out the night with his anthem “God Bless the USA,” which is a favorite at conservative political rallies.
About half of the crowd was made up of college-aged adults, many sporting cowboy boots and MAGA hats while swaying to the music in a sea of glow sticks and cigarette smoke.
The VIP tent party included a catered dinner, red Solo cups and five Hooters entertainers in cropped shirts and bright orange spandex, handing out merch from the restaurant chain.
Other brands supporting Flagstock included Elmore City, Oklahoma-based Old Glory Bank, which was cofounded by singer John Rich and other national conservative leaders; the Veterans of Foreign Wars; and Gift of Life Marrow Registry.
Nine local food trucks formed a circle outside the VIP tent, where concertgoers could stock up on burgers, fries and barbecue. Food trucks were informed of Flagstock’s location three days in advance, while the location was shared with the media only hours in advance. The trucks did not pay for a spot at the event, one of the operators said.
Any leftover funds are supposed to be donated to charities picked out by the participating fraternities, including Back the Blue NC, Wounded Warrior Project, Children of Fallen Patriots, and Zeta Beta Tau Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism, according to the GoFundMe page.
“We did spend the money we raised on this,” Cragg says. “So we’d have to figure out another source of funding if we were to do it again.”
Despite the limited attendance, Cragg called the event incredible. “Our founder here, John Noonan, is on record saying he expected to buy a couple of kegs and send them to a frat house,” he says. “I mean $500,000? That was just fantastic. It allowed us to put on all this, and we couldn’t be happier.”
He described the event as an “unabashed celebration of patriotism,” and one that has caused Pints for Patriots to keep their options open for future events.
For now, Flagstock remains the first and last of its kind. ■
