Query by Tag first, if not present, return all from a post_type

I’ve got a sidebar that depending on where you are on a site, returns records for a custom post type that have a tag whose slug matches the post’s slug. Up until a few days ago, this code worked perfectly, but it now cacks after the else : statement. It still works on my test environment, in fact. I’m wondering if there’s a more elegant/efficient way to do this:

<aside>
  <div id="whereSidebar">
    <?php
			$selector = basename(get_permalink()); // get the current page's slug
			$pageTitle = get_the_title();
			$args = array(
				'post_type' => 'events',
				'tag' => $selector, // drop in the current page's slug (I've set up tags with slugs that match those of post slugs so that I can pull related "Events" for specific "Places" or "Activities")
				'meta_key' => 'start_date',
				'orderby' => 'meta_value',
				'order' => ASC,
				'posts_per_page' => 4
			);

			$the_query = new WP_Query( $args );
			if($the_query->have_posts() ) : while ( $the_query->have_posts() ) : $the_query->the_post(); ?>
    --- do stuff --
    <?php endwhile; else :
		//query ALL posts from the EVENTS custom post type, not just those tagged to match the value in $selector

		$general = array(
				'post_type' => 'events',
				'meta_key' => 'start_date',
				'orderby' => 'meta_value',
				'order' => ASC,
				'posts_per_page' => 4
			);

			$gen_query = new WP_Query( $general );
			if($gen_query->have_posts() ) : while ( $gen_query->have_posts() ) : $gen_query->the_post(); ?>

    --- do basically the same stuff, but with a larger query result ---

    <?php endwhile; endif;
		wp_reset_postdata();
		// closes events sub-query?>
    <?php endif // closes events main query ?>
    <?php wp_reset_postdata(); //reset the original page query ?>
  </div>
  <!--/.whereSidebar-->
</aside>

Live site: http://www.kawarthasnorthumberland.ca
Test environment: http://kawarthas.dvntdesign.com
Under Where to Go compare Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls