“That’s our lifeblood; you can’t have a hall of fame and not have (concerts),” Butala said.

Fewer than 400 paying customers came out to the shows Thursday through Saturday, Butala said.

“The sound and light people wanted to shut us down,” because they weren’t paid, he said.

The concerts didn’t fail for lack of promotion, Butala noted, but he blamed the lack of attendance on the economy.

“This is a depressed area,” he said.

The hall lost about $150,000 putting on the shows, he said.

Hall leaders will regroup and decide what’s next.

“We need a lot of help,” Butala said. “The question is whether Pennsylvania, Mercer County and Sharon really want to be the home to the hall.

“Do (they) want this enough to keep it?” Butala said.

Since a much ballyhooed opening 10 years ago, the hall has faced a downward spiral mainly caused by lack of cash and “my money tree dried up a while ago,” Butala said.

Crosby and Tracy Rogers, who serves as director of the museum and helped produce the concerts, have worked for seven years without pay, Butala said.

“(They’re) so dedicated,” he said.

On the web: www.vghf.org