Jaripeo tour brings music, rodeo to arenas

MIAMI (Billboard) - At a time when economic woes and immigration crackdowns are hurting the Latin music touring business, big, showy productions would seem to be a thing of the past.

But the upcoming Jaripeo de Oro: 3 a Caballo tour (Golden Jaripeo: 3 on Horseback), presented by Live Nation and Alvarez & Garner, is banking on its spectacle -- and low ticket prices -- to attract audiences. The tour's 13-city run kicked off August 28 in Los Angeles and will play in venues with an average seating capacity of 13,000.

The shows feature iconic Mexican singer-songwriter Joan Sebastian -- who's also an accomplished horseback rider -- as the headliner, along with his son, Jose Manuel Figueroa, and another regional Mexican star, El Chapo de Sinaloa.

The jaripeo show -- a type of rodeo that includes bull riding, horses and music -- in itself is not an oddity. Legendary artists like Antonio Aguilar rode and sang in places like New York's Madison Square Garden as far back as 20 years ago, and stars like his son Pepe Aguilar still perform at jaripeos today.

But this is the first major jaripeo tour in recent memory, and certainly the first such extensive venture put together by Live Nation and presented mostly in arenas, as opposed to state fairs.

"I'd say it's the biggest branded tour of this kind to date," says Ruben Alvarez, co-owner of Alvarez & Garner, which he co-founded with Live Nation CEO of global music Jason Garner. "We've been slowly growing it into the phenomenon we have today."

FIVE-HOUR SHOW

Alvarez launched the Jaripeo de Oro brand in 2007 as a rodeo show starring Sebastian and Pepe Aguilar. The following year, he paired Sebastian, who sings from atop his horse, with banda/mariachi star Jenni Rivera (who didn't perform on horseback). Last year, Sebastian's performing partner was Banda el Recodo.

This time around, Alvarez put together three artists who sing and ride in an ambitious production that includes 17 horses, at least 10 bulls and nearly five hours of family entertainment. Each show takes place on a circular stage surrounded by seating.

Tickets average $75 per seat this year, down from $90 last year in a nod to the weaker economy. Seats are available for as little as $45, while high-end tickets, which sell out the quickest, go for $150-$165.

This year's Jaripeo tour has expanded to 13 dates, three more than last year, with shows slated to run through November at venues like the American Airlines Arena in Dallas; Arco Arena in Sacramento, California; and the Portland (Oregon) Memorial Coliseum. Live Nation and Alvarez & Garner have already booked 10 dates for 2011.

The show's expansion is a tribute to the popularity of its two marquee acts, particularly Sebastian, who is widely regarded as the reigning jaripeo king and who just finished his Los Tres tour alongside Alejandro Fernandez and Marco Antonio Solis.

But the affordability of the tickets, coupled with the spectacle of the show, makes it uniquely appealing for a niche audience that saves its money for just the right kind of event.

"The audience for this show is from the countryside," Alvarez says. "Many of the people who attend wouldn't regularly go to concerts. We try to put on an event that they will really want to see."