Daryl Hall Files Federal Lawsuit Over His Rose Bowl Float Performance


Show me the money! That’s the gist of a new lawsuit that Philly-born songwriter extraordinaire Daryl Hall filed in California’s federal court on Tuesday, alleging that Rural Media Group of Omaha, Nebraska, owes him more than $87,000 stemming from a performance last year during Rose Bowl festivities.

Hall, whose primary residence is now in Connecticut, performed on the company’s Parade of Roses float in 2014 and says that Rural Media agreed to cover all of the expenses incurred by him, his family, and his band during the trip.

The float was named “You Make My Dreams Come True” after the 1981 Hall & Oates song, and Hall performed the song, as seen in the video below. (Don’t miss the cameos by the parade’s judges, who can be seen getting their groove on in the whitest way possible, about 20 seconds in.)

According to the suit, Hall sent an invoice to the company nearly a year ago and still hasn’t received the $87,508.02 he says he’s owed.

On top of that, alleges Hall, Rural Media sold a two-disc Rose Parade DVD for $29.99 that had photos of Hall on the front and back covers, video and audio from his float performance, and other content that Hall claims was used without his authorization or consent. (Rural Media, which declined to comment for this article, has stopped selling that DVD.)

The suit alleges breach of contract, fraud, and copyright violations, and seeks unspecified damages and the full reimbursement.