Reunited rockers Fabulosos Cadillacs in high gear
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - If last year's reunion mania is any indication, the highly anticipated return of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs this fall stands to be a major fourth-quarter bright spot for the music business. The band will also be able to take advantage of modern tools of promotion not available in its heyday.
The Argentine ska-rock legends, who never officially broke up but played their last show six years ago, are at work on a new album that Sony BMG will release in the fall. It's a combination of new material and new versions of old songs, produced by Robert Carranza (Los Lobos, Molotov, Jack Johnson). The album will be followed in November by an international tour featuring at least 50 shows in Latin America, Europe and the United States.
The Cadillacs have sold about 50,000 tickets for their November 5 show at Mexico City's Foro Sol, and tickets recently went on sale for a November 12 show at the Estadio 3 de Marzo in Guadalajara, Mexico.
"Obviously we're playing (stadiums) around the world, and in the States it's harder to do that," said Tomas Cookman, who co-manages the group with Anibal Rigozzi. For the U.S., "it is our plan to make it a coast-to-coast run, but for the first part of the tour we may just do some key major cities."
Producing the tour is Roberto Costa's company, T4F, a veteran of last year's successful Soda Stereo reunion. The Argentine rock trio grossed nearly $4 million from just three shows in the States, with tickets priced as high as $200 in Los Angeles, according to Billboard Boxscore.
Spain's Heroes del Silencio drew nearly 30,000 people to their one U.S. show in Los Angeles (gross: nearly $1.3 million), and a reunited Timbiriche was able to follow 26 dates in its native Mexico ($9.3 million) with a 12-city stateside club run this year.
The Cadillacs plan to keep ticket prices low through sponsorships and have already secured deals with Sony Ericsson and Argentine wireless carrier Personal. Personal customers will qualify for a 15 percent discount on tickets to the Cadillacs' December 12 concert in Buenos Aires.
"The important thing in promoting and marketing (the tour) is being able to capture what the band has meant for the audience in all its different musical phases," noted Costa. "It goes from 60,000-person stadiums to clubs, and that's a big challenge."
Reuters/Billboard
