WALKER, Minn. - Bill Bieloh wanted ZZ Top to perform at Moondance Jam so much that he is spending three times more for the legendary classic rock band to perform tonight than he usually spends for all opening-night acts combined.
ZZ Top tops tonight's start of the 13th annual festival, which over four nights will feature 16 national bands and 24 regional ones, with a total act price tag pushing $1 million. Bieloh is paying $175,000 for ZZ Top alone.
He had been trying to get the trio for years.
"It is just a good band," Bieloh says. "They've been around 25 years. They are just so good."
He originally wanted the group to be a Friday feature, but a Canadian event outbid him. So now ZZ Top headlines the strongest Wednesday-Thursday slate Moondance has presented. The band is scheduled to be on stage at 11 p.m.
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Other nights feature acts such as The Allman Brothers Band, Pat Benatar and Rick Springfield. Regional bands play each afternoon.
Bieloh has been working on the 13th annual version of Moondance since the 12th version ended. He said on Tuesday, amid dozens of interruptions by people seeking last-minute direction, preparation for Minnesota's largest rock festival was ahead of schedule.
The weather forecast already looks lucky. After a 2003 Moondance hampered by heavy rains, a much lower chance of rain threatens this year's event.
This year's big difference is an emphasis on weeknight entertainment. Bieloh says he hopes that does mean a huge traffic jam tonight and Thursday as Minnesotans try to put in a full day of work and then jam the night away.
Sixty percent of Moondance tickets are sold to residents within 120 miles of Walker, including the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Seventy percent of the tickets are sold in advance, but Bieloh says only a few people ever have been turned away at the gates.
About 18,000 to 20,000 are expected each day, which Bieloh says is a good number. He aims at keeping the festival this size - which still is far bigger than the 500 that came to the first jam.
"We don't want to be bigger, we want to be better," Bieloh says.
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Don Davis at (651) 290-0707
If you go
- What: Moondance Jam
- Who: Sixteen classic rock groups such as Huey Lewis and the News, ZZ Top and the Allman Brothers Band, as well as 24 regional bands
- When: Today through Saturday starting at 1 p.m., with national acts at night
- Where: Southeast of Walker, Minn., near Minnesota 200
- Information: www.moondancejam.com or (877) 666-6526
