NASHVILLE |DATE: AUGUST 25, 2015
FROM: MARCEE RONDAN/BARI LIEBERMAN
With KAABOO Del Mar set to take place Friday, September 18-Sunday, September 20 at the Del Mar Racetrack & Fairgrounds featuring headlining performances from No Doubt, The Killers and Zac Brown Band, we sat down with festival organizers Bryan Gordon and Chris Brown to discuss the name, inception and plans for the inaugural KAABOO.
*Note to Media: please feel free to run this Q&A in its entirety or any portion of it.
Q: Let’s start with the name? What is KAABOO?
Bryan: The name KAABOO came from an extended evening, which turned into early morning, sitting around the fire pit at a hotel in Del Mar with a half dozen of us. Magically, at around 5:30 a.m., the name KAABOO came like a bolt of lightning to one of us, and we all looked at each other and knew that we had found the name of our event.
Q: What does the name KAABOO mean?
Chris: KAABOO defines fun and pleasure. It’s about taking dares and living life a little more wildly. It means sometimes stepping outside your comfort zone, unplugging from the world as we know it, just letting loose and having a great time with the people you value.
Bryan: The name KAABOO means whatever the hell you want it to mean. It’s an expression of the feeling that wells up inside your gut when you’re having a purely good, relaxed, get-away-from-it-all, genuinely fun time with your friends and family.
Q: How and when did you decide to enter the live event market with KAABOO?
Bryan: It starts with a life-long interest in music and, specifically, live music. Combine that with a passion for food, art and hospitality. With KAABOO, I have the opportunity to put all of those elements together in one place. We set out to create a new live event paradigm that catered to a little older, a little more affluent and more discerning audience than the typical event prototype, which focuses primarily on 17-25 year olds. Those other events serve that group very well, but I didn’t feel like there was anybody addressing our niche in the market.
Chris: Bryan and I were together at a concert at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre when the inspiration really hit us. Based on this shared vision, we jumped into it together. I’ve been a lifelong fan of live music and live experiences. For me, it delivers a feeling of peace almost like religion or therapy. More people in this day and age need that sort of live experience-something that allows them to unplug from day-to-day life and just enjoy themselves. We all love music. KAABOO is a great way to experience music and a great way to refresh your soul.
Q: A lot of live events are beefing up their food and beverage, what will set KAABOO apart?
Bryan: Just about everything at KAABOO is going to be different from what exists elsewhere. Most significantly, the entire event is purpose-built with this target audience in mind. The DNA of this event has been imagined from day one as an ideal experience for the guest. You will feel it everywhere and in every way. Specifically with respect to the food and the beverage options, there will be greater variety and quality than is available at many other events of this nature. There will be places to sit and actually enjoy the cuisine, instead of standing or sitting on the ground. KAABOO will be curated to present an extraordinary degree of quality, variety and unusual choices that people may not have been exposed to before. We are presenting a cabinet of curiosity to people.
Q: In creating KAABOO, you decided on San Diego and the Del Mar Fairgrounds as a location. Tell us more about the site and what your team will be doing to enhance what’s already in place.
Chris: San Diego weather! It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold, it’s comfortable, it’s predictable. Then there’s a gigantic facility at the Fairgrounds with this entire infrastructure complete with all these amenities. As we traveled around the country attending music festivals and other live events, we noticed that a lot of events had to build their sites from scratch. The Del Mar Fairgrounds has seating, bathrooms, outdoor space and absolutely beautiful architecture. It’s got ample parking around it, along with its own shuttle transportation. So there was a great foundation already in place.
Bryan: At most live music events, it’s all about the music–the music is really the only actor in the play–and there is modest attention paid to everything else. We put a great deal of attention into everything else that surrounds the music so that there is a very strong ensemble cast. At many events, the live music experience can be pretty rough, with limited amenities and food/beverage choices, and no place to relax. We wanted to address these common problems to make KAABOO a more comfortable experience overall. We won’t have any porta-potties–only real, flushing toilets. We will have plenty of places to sit, as well as shaded areas and indoor spaces with air conditioning. We want people to have options to get away from the music for a little while and do something different. We provide valet parking, and options for closer self-parking for people willing to pay for the privilege of doing that. People are going to have a choice of more than 50 different restaurants, over 50 types of beer, more than 30 wineries selling 75 different wines and more than 30 craft spirits. You’re going to have a lot of choices, whatever you’re in the mood for. The joy is in the journey; the discovery process is very much part of what we are trying to encourage at KAABOO. People are not just listening to music; the music is the backdrop to a whole process of having fun on many different levels.
Q: As you’ve been developing KAABOO, what kind of local support have you received? Were there any hurdles to overcome?
Bryan: There have been so many incredible advantages and opportunities, both locally in Del Mar and Solana Beach, and in San Diego overall. This is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S and one of the most attractive tourist destinations. There’s great weather, an international airport, more than 50,000 hotel rooms, tremendous public transportation and a good highway infrastructure. It really offers everything that you could want in a destination. And it’s located within a couple hours drive of more than 20 million people. There have been some questions and trepidations from neighbors and we are working with them before, during and afterKAABOO to make sure that we have a thoughtful plan to address externalities that will affect them. When we’ve had the chance to talk to the community about any issues, they’ve been quite satisfied with our plans. Our hosts at the fairgrounds have been incredibly helpful and supportive. Overall, the community has welcomed us with open arms.
Q: There was a decision to limit the number of tickets sold for KAABOO. Let’s talk a little about that.
Bryan: The Del Mar Fairgrounds has about 350 acres and hosts events up to 95,000 people at peak capacity. That being said, we are trying to create an event that is not too big and sprawling, one that is manageable from a guest experience point of view. Our vision is to start out with 25,000-35,000 people and basically grow to about 65,000 people over three to four years. We’ll continue to gauge the comfort and the service level as we grow in steps to ensure that we are not compromising the guest experience.
Q: KAABOO’s line-up is an eclectic one. Was this a conscious move in an era when genre-specific festivals seem to be increasing? You also have a bill that pays homage to the Southern California music scene. Was that a deliberate decision?
Chris: Very early in the talent buying process, we generated a list based on criteria that we all felt was vital to a live music event like KAABOO. We wanted bands that understand the lineup format, bands that can really engage with the audience and not just stand there and play their music.
Bryan: As far as the Southern California music scene, yes, we wanted to pay homage to the tremendous influences that are indigenous to southern California, and offer a tip of the hat to the KAABOO locale and where our guests would be coming from.
Q: Let’s talk a little more about KAABOO’s line-up. Which acts are you all looking forward to seeing?
Bryan: I’m not personally going to pick a favorite because there are way too many great options out there! That said, I’m personally very excited to see Jamestown Revival, Icona Pop, and I’m really looking forward to The Killers
Chris: There are so many of bands that I like on the KAABOO lineup. Fitz and the Tantrums are one of the best live bands I saw last year. I’m looking forward to seeing Donovan Frankenreiter, because I just love him and think he’s got a cool deal and great fans. And I’m very interested to see Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, as I just met the guitarist and am intrigued by their work. I’m especially excited for our guests to wander around and stumble upon things that they’re not familiar with. For me, it’s more fun to have new experiences and see new performers, than to just go see your favorite band.
Bryan: There’s no better way to experience something new than by standing in front of a band and hearing them live. That will absolutely transform the experience.
Q: When people walk away from the inaugural KAABOO, what do you want them to remember?
Bryan: A sense of elation, light and maybe exhaustion. Happy from head to toe that they had an opportunity to escape from their reality for a day or three, and really just cut loose and indulge themselves. Hopefully they will have bonded with whomever joined them at KAABOO, along with making new friends along the way. We want our guests to enjoy the experience so much that they tell 10 friends to come with them next year.
Chris: I hope they discover things that they didn’t know before and that could be in music, in food and wine, in craft sprits or beer, in comedy or in a different brand or service that they maybe might have not have known about. I hope they walk away fromKAABOO thinking their life is better than it was prior to coming. Mostly, I want them to walk away totally recharged and with a feeling that they experienced the beginning of something special.
###
Throughout the KAABOO weekend, music aficionados will experience anunforgettable three days of performances on seven stages and six unparalleled experiences: Humor Me, Palate, Indulgences, ArtworK, Encore, and Posh Nosh. KAABOO Del Mar is presented in partnership with Mercedes Benz. Just steps away from the Pacific Ocean, the KAABOO site is situated within a few hours of all major Southern California cities.
For the most updated information, please visit the KAABOO website and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MSO Press Releases & Assets
###
