A friend asked the writer why those acts skip town, a question the writer says they have heard hundreds of times. The answer isn't as simple as nobody wanting to book them.
Reason one is risk. Rancid and Dropkick Murphys have loyal, passionate fan bases, but they're more niche than a typical mainstream rock act, which makes them a gamble in a market this size. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones played a stellar show that still became one of the biggest money-losers the writer remembers, because the crowd didn't show up.
Money is reason two. A promoter has to cover the band's guarantee, venue rental, production, advertising, staffing, security, insurance, and a dozen other expenses, then sell enough tickets to pay for all of it. Sometimes a band wants arena money, but the market can only deliver theater money.
The third reason is blunt. Lubbock isn't Dallas, Houston, Denver, or Oklahoma City, and bands with a limited number of dates often chase bigger crowds and bigger paychecks.
Local promoters have bid on plenty of shows that never happened.