A game changer
New Los Dells festival arrives at right time for boom in Latin music
On the surface, Los Dells in Mauston Labor Day weekend was the beginning of a new festival.
In time, it could prove to be a significant turning point for a sector of the music industry.
Festivals and Latin music have both reached peak popularity and business in the United States, but there still isn’t a definitive Coachella or Lollapalooza-level Latin music festival in the country.
That Latin concert business is behind the industry average, with artists and booking agents expanding into secondary markets only within the past couple of years. The few multi-day festivals that have sprung up have been in major cities with dense Hispanic populations, like Miami and Chicago, but promoters have largely hedged their bets by booking less costly talent.
Los Dells was different, and a great risk. Owner Damon Zumwalt, founder and CEO of concert security company Contemporary Services Corp., invested $2.5 million to $3 million on artists, and an additional $3 million to $7 million on infrastructure, marketing and other expenses, setting the festival on a 1,500 acre plot of land he acquired in 2002 that’s home to his sprawling Woodside Sports Complex.
He got Mana and Daddy Yankee to headline; making a rough analogy using English-speaking artists, that would be like booking U2 and Drake at the same festival. The wide-ranging lineup covered reggaeton, banda, bachata, pop, even EDM, breaking with the genre-limited lineups seen at many stateside Latin concerts, a nod to the genre sampling that’s industry standard.
Nevertheless the location, so far removed from any major city, in a state where less than a percent of its population is Hispanic, could have been a deal breaker. Despite that, and a late June lineup announcement, and poor weather on the first day, Los Dells managed to attract about 17,000 visitors. (Attendance has yet to be announced for day two, but it appeared to be in that ballpark.)
The numbers fall short of organizers’ 20,000 to 40,000 projection. But given all the circumstances, it’s still a strong start. Pop singer Becky G during her set seemed to speak for everybody: “Finally we have a music festival that’s dedicated to us.”
The name now established, and with more time for marketing next year, Los Dells is poised to get bigger.
Here are some more thoughts on Los Dells’ first year.
The layout: Zumwalt said when he first saw the land, while visiting a ranch on the property in 1998, he could picture a site for a music festival. You could see what he envisioned. It was a standard field, surrounded by woods, but the essential element is a large hill right in the middle of the land. At Los Dells, it provided great views of the grounds, and an easy meeting point, and also helped block sound bleed when the two primary stages ran simultaneously.
The experience: A line of carnival food trucks lined the main grounds, with a Puerto Rican food trailer serving up plantains and empanadas, and taco stands slinging out carnitas, pastor, asada and chorizo with fixings. Murals were scattered throughout the grounds, some being worked on live during the festival, while kids (and there were many of them) could ride a Ferris wheel and ponies, get their faces painted and get elaborate balloon creations.
The missteps: On day one the main “Woodside” stage ran a half hour behind schedule all the way through Mana, and the “Dells” stage was silent for more than three hours, with one act unable to perform, and ran without a clear schedule the rest of the night. Few people seemed annoyed by the problems, but Los Dells still looked like an amateur operation.
More concerning for next year will be making the VIP packages more enticing. The extra $100 included a special entrance and viewing area with a separate bar and food stand — except the lines to get in (and at food stands and bars) were never that long at the main gate, and aside from some chairs and sofas, the viewing area wasn’t any better than what you could see on the main field.
Another major issue: Cell reception was practically non-existent. Social media is a crucial part of the festival experience; without it, Los Dells loses a great amount of fan-generated, free marketing.
The music: Every festival is going to have duds, and Los Dells was no exception. Reggaeton artist Cosculleula leaned too heavily on a backing track, and pop singer Sofia Reyes struggled to energize the crowd (a shapeless “Shape of You” cover did little favors).
Most of the acts brought their Agame. Prince Royce smoldered but also worked up a sweat. Carla Morrison stunned with her passion and powerful voice. Mana filled its 90-minute set with massive moments, but it was frontman Fher Olvera’s intimate approach — toasting the crowd and chugging a bottle of “gasoline;” leading a tender cover of Juan Gabriel’s heartbroken ranchera ballad “Se Me Olvido Otra Vez” that brought several to tears — that made the appearance so memorable.
Flashy reggaeton star Nicky Jam showed touching sensitivity as well, kissing every flag from a Latin American country tossed at his feet for an autograph. And while “Despacito” live was a disappointment, Daddy Yankee delivered a powder keg performance with his fiery rat-a-tat flow and hitstuffed set, proving why he’s earned the nickname “King of Reggaeton.”
It’s too soon to say whether Los Dells will become the undisputed king of Latin music festivals. In terms of talent, it was an incredible way to start.