Mana
One Mexico’s biggest and most influential rock bands and a Puerto Rican artist known as the “King of Reggaeton” are among the headliners of the inaugural Los Dells music festival Sept. 2-3 in Wisconsin Dells.
Maná, a pop-rock outfit from Guadalajara that has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide since its formation in 1986, and Daddy Yankee, a singer and rapper famous for his 2004 hit “Gasolina,” are the two most recognizable names on a newly released list of 13 festival performers made public Wednesday on Billboard ‘s website.
“Maná is like the U2 of Mexico,” festival organizer Adam Mills tells Isthmus. “To have the biggest band — and possibly the biggest band ever to come out of Mexico — coming to Wisconsin has massive appeal.”
Though Maná is arguably more famous in a macro sense, more people are likely to have heard of Daddy Yankee, whose song “Despacito” has been No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the past seven weeks. The track features Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi and was recently remixed by Justin Bieber, which added to the hype.
“Daddy Yankee is becoming a household name with the “Despacito” craze,” Mills says. “There’s no better time to bring somebody like that to a market where people are unfamiliar with Latin music.”
Mills, a Madison native, runs a promotion company called Event CRU with his twin brother, Grant. The pair helped launch the annual Life is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas and has had a hand in organizing and promoting a number of similar events around the country. Los Dells will be their first event in Wisconsin. The two-day event is being held at the Woodside Sports Complex, where more than 1,500 acres of land are being transformed into festival grounds. In addition to music, the festival promises “art installations and a vast culinary program,” according to the website.
Another 10-15 artists will be revealed in an another announcement in July, Mills says.
“We’ve got a couple really big names coming in phase two,” Mills says. “For us, it’s really just about keeping the excitement going.”
Regular and VIP two-day passes will go on sale June 30 at noon, with prices ranging from $145 to $385.