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| Bamboozle Left takes place this weekend on the Athletic Field. |
Bamboozle Left is coming, and it's coming soon. In the next few days the Athletic Field and some nearby parking will be fenced off for the construction of five stages, a small village of trailers and other necessities for hosting a massive two-day music festival.
Bamboozle Left, which is Oct. 14 and 15, will be the largest event ever hosted by the campus. Up to 10,000 people are expected to come each day.
The festival initially began with 40 bands on the lineup. But, that lineup has grown to about 70. Well-known artists such as Dashboard Confessional, Jack's Mannequin, 30 Seconds to Mars and Brand New will perform live.
The seeds for Bamboozle Left began in February 2005 when then-student Karlo Arenas contacted Goldenvoice, a Southern California-based concert production company.
“I wanted the school to have something more to offer the students,” Arenas says, who works for ASI's Gas Creative Group.
He didn't know at the time, just how much more would be offered. The meeting in 2005 resulted in Yellowcard playing in April to more than 4,200 people in Kellogg Gym.
Meanwhile, John D'Esposito, president of MAX Cruise Entertainment was finding success on the East Coast with his festival called The Bamboozle. He decided to take his festival west, or “Left” Coast as he says, and call it the Bamboozle Left.
The partnership between ASI and Goldenvoice for the Yellowcard concert opened up the doors to partner with D'Esposito. This weekend, Bamboozle Left will make its West Coast debut at the university.
“We wanted to enhance the 'Bronco Experience' and put Cal Poly Pomona on the map for something other than its academics,” says Jeff Cox, ASI's campus concerts advisor and marketing coordinator. ”Bringing world-class entertainment to the campus has certainly done that. With the support of the university, we want to continue building the business of events for the campus so that academic programs can be better supported.”
MTV2, which has rolled out a comprehensive marketing campaign for Bamboozle Left, will be filming two shows and a pilot during the festival. Other substantial media attention is also expected. Mean Street magazine has already devoted its September edition to the festival.
Cox believes the development and planning for the festival has been an invaluable learning experience for the students who work for Gas Creative Group, which is the marketing and graphic design department for ASI. Students have designed the stages and logo for the shows, he says.
Much of the logistics and effort to bring Bamboozle Left came from Cox and his staff, however efforts couldn't end there. More than 20 staff members from several departments on campus have been tasked to help pull the festival off.
To name a few who have helped: Parking Supervisor Ron Shields developed a strategic parking plan for the thousands of visitors expected on campus. Steve Quintero from the university Visitors Center has reached out to several groups on and off campus to let them know the impacts the festival will have on issues such as transportation. Police Chief Michael Guerin and his officers and staff have worked on plans to assure public safety. The Athletics Department is also allowing the event to take over its premier field for the weekend.
For official information about the festival visit: https://www.thebamboozleleft.com/
For more information on how the festival will impact roads and parking visit: https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news.asp?id=1384